Mass Effect: A Third Chance
by Charlie4077
Summary: Begins after the destroy ending of Mass Effect 3. I did a small bit of creative tailoring to fit the ending with my story, but it is not drastically changed. The story is about M Shepard and Tali evolving their new life together. Rated M for themes, language, and safety. I hope you enjoy the story. Keelah se'lei. Credit for cover goes to DooMGuy117 on deviantART
1. Alive

_**Note added after completion of story:**_

_**Looking back I can see the errors I made in structure and I am tempted to rewrite my earlier chapters but I have decided against it. With this being my first fic I developed a lot during the writing process and I wish to keep it as it is, sort of like a monument to my growth.**_

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**One Quick Note before you read.**

**I do not own Mass Effect**

**(I would have had a movie made of my personal storyline by now if I did)**

**Only the original characters and Shepard's personality belong to me all other things are owned by their creators at Bioware.**

**This is my first fan-fic so constructive criticism is very much welcome.**

**I will be constantly checking for PMs and Reviews so that my writing may be improved.**

**Ok… enough about me and my insanity. Please enjoy the story :)**

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Shepard awoke to a world of immense pain. He had destroyed the reapers. He had finished the war. He was supposed to be dead right now… What the hell was happening? Shepard opened his eyes and found himself to be in a large crater. As he struggled to sit up he examined his situation.

All around him were fallen reapers and as his gaze panned upward he observed the Citadel disintegrating above him. He had no idea how he had gotten back to Earth all he knew was that if he didn't get his ass moving then he wasn't going to live long enough to savor the victory. Shepard, with great effort, got to his feet and began limping toward a overturned MAKO hoping that the emergency distress beacon was still functioning.

As he got closer he could see that the tank was mostly intact, with the exception of the large hole through both sides. At last he reached it and ducked inside. Thankfully the transmitter appeared to be in working order. So with a silent prayer to whatever god had just gotten his ass off the Citadel he started up the beacon and began his message.

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The Normandy had just taken off after holding a small memorial ceremony on the crew deck for admiral Anderson and the commander. Tali found herself unable to complete the task she had been given, placing Shepard's plate on the wall. Doing that would mean accepting he was gone, she wasn't ready for that yet.

While most of the crew was anxious to return and help with recovery and rescue efforts all Tali wanted was to exit through the nearest airlock and take off her faceplate. Yes, they won the war, but she didn't care anymore. All she cared about was that she would never see Shepard again…

As the Normandy returned to orbit around earth Joker noted all the destroyed Geth ships floating amongst the reapers. It was apparent that the Crucible was not built with a filter. It had wiped out all synthetic life. It was at this moment that Joker felt like a lucky man, as the beam had followed the Normandy through the mass relay it had seemed to spare the ship. Only knocking out power temporarily. EDI had been spared the fate that doomed all other synthetics. Before he could rejoice in his luck and call EDI back to the cockpit however, he noticed a very weak signal coming from the previous location of the Citadel's beam in London. Joker began to clear up the interference and gasped when he heard the message clearly. He immediately put it through the intercom on every deck of the ship.

Tali was sitting alone in Shepard's cabin fighting tears when she heard the comm. crackle on and her heart skipped a beat. "This is commander Shepard, I have been critically injured and need assistance. I am inside of an overturned tank near where the citadel beam had been… And if I die before you reach me, then… Find Tali'Zorah and tell her that I am sorry I couldn't keep my promise. Tali, if you are hearing this… I love you, and I am sorry for not coming home." In an instant Tali had flown from her seat at Shepard's desk and was in the elevator. "EDI, tell Joker that I am taking a shuttle down, have Garrus and Chakwas meet me in the shuttle bay." EDI replied, with what Tali could have sworn was a smirk in her tone, "right away Tali. Good luck."

* * *

Shepard lay on the ceiling of the MAKO. He could feel himself losing the battle with death. Every minute that passed just brought his opponent closer to victory. Just as he was about to lose consciousness he heard a shuttle land near the tank. With all the strength he had he sat up and called out "a little help please!"

When Shepard heard footsteps rapidly approaching he let out a sigh of relief. _Soon. Help will be here soon._ Tali entered through the hole in the tank and gasped when she saw the large pool of blood surrounding Shepard.

"Keelah… Shepard can you hear me?" She got closer and kneeled next to the one person who mattered to her most. It hurt her to see him as he currently was. His armor had been blasted away almost entirely, his once brown hair now looked more black from ash and blood. His arm had a large gash from the inside on his wrist around to his elbow. His face was bloodied and one of his eyes had swollen shut. But he was alive. Her Shepard was alive. She smiled down at him and took his good hand in hers.

Chakwas entered next, flanked by Garrus. Chakwas immediately applied medigel to his more severe wounds and they all loaded him onto the shuttle. The last thing Shepard remembered before blacking out from the anesthetics was smiling at the woman he loved as she ran her fingers through his hair.

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It had been two weeks since the destruction of the reapers and Shepard was just beginning to wake up. He felt better but not by much. As he opened his eyes he took in his surroundings, he was in the Normandy's med bay. He turned his head and saw Tali asleep in a chair next to his bed. He reached over and put his hand on her knee. "Hey Tali. Wake up." Tali stirred and opened her eyes. She instantly focused on Shepard's Hanson her knee.

"Shepard, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She reached over and put her hand his cheek. Shepard reached up and covered it with his own. "Better since I got to wake up with you here. You know something though?" Tali leaned in closer and smiled behind her mask. "What is it?"

Shepard smiled and said "I think it's about time I retire. Maybe go somewhere sunny... I hear this beautiful Quarian woman is going to build a nice house on Rannoch. Maybe I should go there." Tali couldn't contain herself any longer. She leaned over and hugged Shepard as tears of joy filled her eyes. "I love you Shepard."Shepard weakly returned the hug "I love you too… Miss vas Normandy."

Just then Dr. Chakwas entered the room and rushed over to the bed. "You're awake, good well now that you are looking so much better you will be happy to know that your wounds have mostly healed and you should be able to get out of here by tomorrow."

"Thanks doctor. Could you please have Joker relay a message to Hackett? Tell him that I am going to Rannoch to... Recover." Shepard grinned as the doctor left the room. Tali smiled at him through her visor. "We are going home now? Aren't we?" The commander's smile broadened. "Yes, we are going home and I promise I won't leave again."

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**For the record, I said "whatever god had just saved him" to avoid offending people... I only bring it up because people are already giving me flak for it.**


	2. A new beginning

In the three months that followed Shepard retired from the navy with the most honors ever bestowed upon a single soldier. He had gone back to Rannoch with Tali and they had built a house on the cliff over the beach near where Shepard had defeated the reaper. Tali had been able to shed her suit without risk after about two months of intermediate exposures. Life for the two seemed near perfect, and yet Shepard found himself more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life.

Today was many things. It was the day he was going to prepare a dextro dinner for first time. It was the anniversary of his first meeting with Tali back on the Citadel all those years ago. But most importantly, it was the day he would propose to Tali. He had spent the entire day trying to figure out the best way to do it. He had found, with the help of a certain master thief, a piece of ancient Quarian artwork carved into stone. The image was one of a servant kneeling before another Quarian. Shepard thought that this would be a great way to kick things off and then he would present to large golden ring he'd had made for her.

Tali giggled as she watched Shepard struggle to prepare the dextro vegetables for her. His steak was getting cold across from her on the table. "Shepard why don't you just let me cook it? Your food is getting cold." Shepard turned his head to look at her. "Because tonight is special. Remember what happened four years ago today?" He walked over and placed her food in front of her. When he looked at her he could tell she was deep in thought trying to find the answer. "You think I'll be right back." He then kissed her on the top of her head and walked over to the closet in the hallway and began shifting through it's contents looking for her gift.

"Hmmmm… Oh I feel like a bosh'tet. That was the day we met." Shepard returned with a large bag in his hand. "Exactly. Happy anniversary Tali." He handed Tali the bag and sat down with a huge grin on his face. "Oh Shepard you really shouldn't ha…" Tali fell silent as she pulled the stone tablet out of the bag. "Shep... Shepard" she stuttered "this… Where did… How did you… Thank you so much Shepard. It's wonderful."

Shepard slid out of his chair and onto one knee next to her. Clearing his throat he looked up into her eyes and gave a nervous smile "Tali, I love you with everything I have and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You have always stood by my side. You helped me stop Saren and Soverign. You believed me about the Collectors when the council wrote me off as a lunatic. You helped me defeat the Reapers. You have always been there for me and I can't imagine my life without you. Tali… Will you marry me?" Shepard then pulled the large ring from his pocket and, with a shaky hand, slid it onto the outer finger of her left hand.

Tali was astonished by Shepard's gift but now she was utterly speechless. She had done a lot of research into human courtship when they had just started their relationship. She had even gone as far as comparing marriage in human culture to the Quarian equivalent. It was the same basic thing… Just a lot fewer ceremonies. She never believed she would be in this situation however. "Shepard… I… I never thought you… Yes, yes I'll marry you." Shepard had been happy when he defeated the reapers but now, he was overjoyed. The one woman who mattered most to him in the entire galaxy had just agreed to marry him.

He stood up and kissed her deeply. "I love you" he said as they parted. "I love you too Shepard. You have made me so happy." Shepard just smiled and looked at her food. "You don't have to eat that if you don't want to. I wouldn't blame you…" Tali started laughing and kissed his cheek "I'm going to go call auntie Raan."

Shepard walked out onto the patio while Tali made her call. As he looked up at the stars he began to think about what they would do about the wedding. Human or Quarian tradition? It was at this point that he realized he knew nothing about Quarian ceremonies. When in doubt... Shepard thought as he opened up the extranet on his omnitool.

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Raan had finally gotten relaxed and was about to fall asleep when the comm. on her wall bleeped. "Well that just figures…" as she stood she put on a robe and answered the comm. She yawned and smiled at the excited look on Tali's face. "Hello Tali. What is it?" Raan could tell that she was bouncing a little. Tali held up her hand to show Raan her ring. "Shepard proposed! We're getting married!" Raan's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Tali was getting married. "Tali that's wonderful. Where are you getting married? When?" Raan yawned again. "Actually I'll just come over tomorrow afternoon. I need to get some sleep. Congratulations Tali." Tali smiled and nodded. "Alright auntie. Goodnight. And thank you." Tali cut the link and the surprised admiral returned to bed. "So much for a peaceful night's sleep."

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Tali stepped out onto the patio behind Shepard and noticed that he was looking at something on his omnitool. She crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "what are you looking at?" Shepard closed his omnitool and turned in her arms.

"Well I just gained a Fear of Quarian marriage… Some of those ceremonies are just… Disturbing." Tali could see the worry in his eyes. "Shepard it's fine. We can have a human wedding. But that look on your face is priceless." Tali started giggling and Shepard picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "Shepard. Hahaha put me down!" She said laughingly. Shepard carried her inside and put her on the couch. "Wish granted. Now how did Raan take the news?" Shepard asked as he sat on the arm of the couch and ran his fingers through her hair.

"She was very happy she is coming over tomorrow afternoon."Tali yawned and smiled. "I'm tired Shepard. Let's get some sleep. We can celebrate in the morning… Unless you want to celebrate tonight?" Tali winked up at him and stood. As she began walking toward the bedroom she swung her hips seductively and just moments after she turned the corner her nightgown hit the wall in the hallway outside the bedroom. Shepard was dumbstruck for a moment. _I love that woman. _He then ran after her and shortly after his clothes joined hers on the floor.


	3. Good news everyone

**Thanks for the advice in your reviews, I am hoping that the updates I have made will satisfy the lot of you. Please remember to leave a review. Criticism is always welcome, provided it is constructive and not death threats about things being non canon to the original facts, which I should be able to avoid because I fact-check with the in game codex as well as my creepy amount of knowledge about the Quarian culture. Anyway, enough rambling. Here's the next chapter, enjoy :) **

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The next morning Shepard lay in bed just watching Tali sleep. When she finally began to stir he pulled her closer to him whispered in her ear. "Good morning Mrs. Shepard."

Tali smiled and kissed him. "I think I could get used to that." Tali looked past him to the clock on the table and her eyes bugged out. "Shepard its already three! Auntie Raan will be here any minute!" Tali exclaimed as she shot out of bed and rushed out to the bathroom. "Shepard get our clothes out of the hall and please bring me a towel!" Shepard just rolled his eyes and gathered the clothes. He then brought her a towel and her robe. Soon afterward he switched her spots for the shower. When he got out she was already dressed and the bell rang as he put on his robe. "I'll be out in a minute." he called as Tali went to answer the door.

Raan was smiling brightly as Tali opened the door. "Hello Tali. Where is Shepard? And what is that?" Raan asked as she entered and walked over to the table to examine the stone tablet Shepard had given to Tali. "He is getting dressed. We just woke up…"

Raan was still examining the tablet when Shepard stepped into the room. "Hello admiral. Did Tali tell you about that yet?" Shepard gestured toward the tablet. Raan looked up at him and walked over to him. "Shepard stop calling me admiral. We are as good as family now." She then reached out and hugged him. "Alright Raan."

Tali smiled and tapped Raan's shoulder. "Shepard got me the tablet. I still don't know where he got it though…" Tali looked inquisitively at Shepard and received a shrug and a smirk in return."Tali I'm not telling you where I got it. I can only say that the person who helped me has a pension for kleptomania."

Shepard smiled at her and walked over to the table. "Raan, care to sit down?" They all took a seat and when Raan asked when they would begin the rituals Shepard and Tali exchanged a nervous look."Well we were hoping to have a um… Well we…" Tali stuttered nervously as she wrung her hands in her lap.

"Raan we were going to have a human wedding." Shepard stated rescuing his bride-to-be from embarrassment. Raan looked stunned. "Surely you're joking…" Raan glared at Shepard angrily. "No we talked it over and we wanted to go with the human traditional ceremony." Raan narrowed her eyes further.

Tali spoke up with a weak voice "auntie… Please just let us have our wedding how we want. I don't see why Shepard should have to go through all of those out dated rituals when they aren't even his." Raan's expression softened at hearing the pleading tone in Tali's voice. "Alright Tali… Alright. But you still have to do be thing. Give your auntie a hug." The two women stood and hugged.

"Tali you and I need to go talk to the other admirals. I'll give you a ride if you like." Shepard stood and kissed Tali on the cheek. "Go ahead I'll just stay here. Have fun with the admirals." Shepard chuckled and waved as the women left.

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Just then the comm. panel on the wall beeped and Shepard answered it. Garrus's face appeared on the screen. "Hey Garrus. You still coming for drinks this Saturday?" Garrus had gone back to Palaven with his father and sister to help with aid efforts."Yes but Solana is a little upset that Liara can't make it. They really seem to have... Taken a liking to each other." Garrus replied with a slightly uneasy chuckle. "Well tell her that she is in for a treat, it turns out that Liara can make it after all."

Suddenly Garrus was pushed out of the frame and Solana took his place. "She can make it? That's great!" Shepard chuckled at her excitement "well just don't be late, Tali and I have an announcement. Oh and I talked to Liara yesterday morning, she misses you." Solana's face lit up and she relinquished the screen back to Garrus.

"Well you cheered her up. I'll see you in two days Shepard. Also there is a Quarian woman in a purple dress behind you that you might want to pay attention to." Garrus cut the feed and Shepard spun around on his heels.

There was Tali in a purple dress with her hair cascading down and framing her face, The color of her dress matched the color of her suit's veil. "Tali you look… Wow…" Tali giggled at him and stepped toward him swinging her hips. "You like the dress? Auntie Raan bought it for me. I am going to wear it for the wedding." Shepard reached out and placed his hands on either side of her waist.

"You look beautiful Tali, but traditionally it is bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her wedding dress before the wedding." At hearing this Tali took off down the hall and hurried into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. "You bosh'tet! Why didn't you say that sooner!" Shepard just laughed and sat on the couch.

"Because, I'm not superstitious!" Tali stepped out in a yellow sundress and started walking toward the couch. "You know I am, I really wish you would have said something." As she passed him she flicked the top of his head. Shepard recoiled dramatically feigning injury. "Well you don't have to go beating me up about it." Tali had reached the kitchen and turned around when he said that, speaking with a mock-angry tone. "You idiot… That's it you make your own breakfast."

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Around noon on Saturday the doorbell rang. Tali opened the door and smiled at Garrus and Solana. "Glad you could make it. Joker and EDI sent word that they couldn't make it! Something about edi installing some new program into her body... Anyway, now we are just waiting on Liara."

Garrus took on a look of confusion. "what about Kasumi?" Tali giggled and pointed behind him at a plant pot that appeared to be floating in the air. When Garrus turned to look Kasumi appeared underneath the pot. "Hey Garrus." The young thief said with a grin as she passed him, still balancing the plant on her head.

Solana sat on a chair on the patio when Garrus stepped inside. Tali sat down next to her. "You ok?" Solana turned her head apparently startled at not being alone. "Hmm? Oh yes I'm fine. I was just going to wait for Liara out here." Tali smiled knowingly "alright. I'll go on inside." She patted the Turian woman on her shoulder as she stood and went inside.

* * *

Shepard was exiting his office when he noticed a floating plant just outside the door. "Hey Kasumi. Thanks again for helping me with that tablet." Kasumi reappeared smiling as she balanced the plant. "No problem Shep. Just don't expect that kind of thing all the time." Shepard took the plant off her head. "so what, did you join a circus now that we saved the galaxy or are you just that much of a show off?"

Shepard and Kasumi walked out and sat at the table with Tali and Garrus. When Shepard turned to Garrus and asked where Solana was the Turian simply shrugged. "She is outside waiting on our other guest." Tali chimed in. Shepard smirked. Liara and Solana had met at a memorial service about two weeks prior. The two had been thick as thieves ever since.

"Well she should be here any-" Shepard was cut off by a fit of laughter from outside. "Well speak of the broker…" Just then Liara and Solana walked in laughing and holding hands. Garrus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and coughed.

"Hey Liara, how's business?" The Asari looked at Garrus and saw the discontent in his expression. She let go of Solana's hand and the pair sat next to each other at the table. "Good, still trying to track down a few remaining Cerberus cells but it's only a matter if time."

Shepard cleared his throat. "It's great seeing all of you again. But Tali and I have something we wanted to tell you. Tali you go ahead." Tali smiled and held up her left hand displaying her ring. "Shepard and I are getting married!" Kasumi smirked knowingly while the others gasped.

Liara was the first to speak. "That's wonderful. Congratulations." Garrus just lightly punched Shepard on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Solana stared open mouthed until Liara reached over and ran a blue finger along one of her mandibles to bring her back to reality.

Kasumi spoke next, "so when? Where? Ooh... How?" Tali smiled over at Shepard expectantly. "Well we are having a human ceremony over on the ridge where I defeated that reaper. The ceremony will be in two weeks." shepard then turned tO look directly at Garrus.

"Garrus, you have stood by me for years and I want you to be the best man at our wedding." once again the Turian's expression took on aconfused look. "Is that part of the ceremony or something?" Shepard chuckled and shook his head. "I'll explain it later."

The group talked on for several hours. Finally Kasumi was the first to leave, followed by Garrus, who left after an uncomfortable conversation with his sister and Liara. Solana had decided to go spend some "quality time" with the Asari until the wedding. The pair left together leaving Tali and Shepard alone at last.

The couple was sitting together on the couch by the fireplace. "It's nice that Liara has found someone new. When she found out that I had gotten so… Close to you, I thought she was going to smash my faceplate the first time she got a look at me." Shepard put his arm behind her back and smiled at her. "That would have been awful… I would have had to feed her to a banshee if she did that." He replied jokingly. "Charmer" She replied with a smile "I try."


	4. Wedding day

**I appreciate the feedback. Also to directly answer a concern, don't worry Sal, I am not doing a human ceremony for ease. I have plans... Devious plans... Bwahahaha!**

**Ok moving on. I was exctied just writing this one. I know it's a bit short but I felt it deserved to be separate from the next chapter. Please enjoy, and as always please remember to review :)**

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It had finally arrived. Wedding day. Tali had practiced her part in the ceremony fifteen times, only one of which was the rehearsal. She knew her part inside and out, and yet she was still nervous.

No, not nervous, she had been nervous when she began to express her feelings for Shepard two years ago. She had been nervous the first time she took off her mask in front of him. No she wasn't nervous now, she was terrified.

_This is ridiculous. I am not going to fight a reaper with my bare hands, I am marrying the man I love. If he were having second thoughts he wouldn't have gone this far... Right?... Wait what am I thinking? He loves me. He wants to be with me for the rest of his life and here I am doubting him... I should be-_

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off as she heard the music, her Que. as Tali emerged from behind a large stone pillar she smiled nervously and it was all she could do to keep from wringing her hands as she walked.

The couple had decided that a small ceremony would be best. The former crew of the Normandy along with Kal'Reeger and all but Xen and Gerrel from the admiralty board were standing by their chairs smiling at her as she passed them. Then Tali saw Garrus, looking very uncomfortable in... _What had Shepard called it?... A tuxedo?_

Then there, standing beside him, was the man she loved with all of her heart. The man to whom the galaxy owed it's life three times over. The man who had saved her from Saren's thugs on the citadel. The man who had saved her from exile by her own people. The man who had saved her entire species from extinction at the hands of the Geth. As she reached her place next to him she nearly was overcome with tears of joy. Admiral Hackett had been chosen to marry the couple, Tali felt overwhelmed by all of her emotions as the admiral recited his piece.

"Do you, Tali'Zorah, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, until death due you part?" Tali nearly choked up as she smiled and said "I do."

The admiral then looked over to Shepard and began again. "Do you, John Shepard, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, until death due you part?" Shepard smiled at Tali, could feel her heart trying to pounce out of her chest, and said "I do."

The admiral grinned and spoke again. "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Shepard took Tali's hands in his and the pair shared a kiss. The kiss, though brief, meant more than any other the couple had ever shared.

Tali's doubts were instantly laid to rest because she knew what this kiss meant for the couple, it meant that they now had their entire lives to spend together, and nothing would ever tear them apart.

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**Damn it... I legitimately cried when I wrote this...**


	5. The Honeymoon suite

**Thanks for your advice and feedback. I hadn't thought of vows, I guess they just slipped my mind. I might go back and add some later. Anyway here's the next chapter, please enjoy and review :)**

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Before his… Incident with the collectors on the original Normandy, Shepard had won a bet with admiral Ahern at pinnacle station. In that bet he had been given ownership of the admiral's secluded apartment on Intai'sei. It was a large apartment with all the comforts anyone could ever hope for. This was where the newlywed couple had chosen to take their honeymoon.

Though Tali's immune system had adjusted to Shepard and to the atmosphere of Rannoch, she still needed her suit off-world. When the couple arrived at the spaceport on Intai'sei, Shepard rented a skycar for their trip.

As he drove he looked over at Tali and noticed she seemed a little bit sad. She was sitting with her shoulders slumped and her head hung low. When he saw her wringing her hands in her lap he stopped the car and turned in his seat to look at her.

"Tali? Are you alright?" Shepard put his hand on her thigh and she jumped slightly. Tali looked up at him and sighed. "I'm sorry Shepard." He just stared for a moment, caught off guard by her statement.

"What could you possibly have to be sorry for Tali? You have made me the most happy man in the galaxy." Shepard gently squeezed his wife's leg and smiled at her.

Again she sighed and lowered her head once more, unable to look him in the eye. "I am sorry I have to wear this stupid suit again. It's our honeymoon. We should be free for each other, but I am stuck in here." She replied as she tapped her faceplate.

Shepard smiled sadly at her and tilted her chin up so she would look at him. "Tali, I fell in love with you before I ever saw your face. It's ok that you are in the suit, I am just happy to have you with me. I don't care that you have to be in the suit, as long as you are safe."

She smiled at him behind her mask and cupped his face in her hands, leaning her head against his. "I bet you say that to all the Quarian girls." she said in her best mock-jealous voice.

"Only the brilliant ones." He replied as he kissed the side of her head and pulled her into an embrace. Tali held onto her husband, reflecting on his comforting words.

* * *

When the pair finally, reluctantly, released each other Shepard resumed flying them to the apartment. When they arrived, they found a package with a note outside the door. Shepard picked up the note and read it aloud to Tali.

"It is with great pleasure that we tell you that your apartment has been filtered and cleaned in preparation for your and Tali's arrival. We wish you a happy honeymoon and hope that the items you will find in this package, which we assure you was sterilized before being sealed, will help to amplify your enjoyment. With love, Joker and EDI."

Shepard turned to Tali and smiled. "Looks like you can get that suit off after all. But something tells me EDI wrote the note… Too polite for Joker…" Tali was visably bouncing on her toes with excitment and shepard couldn't contain a chuckle upon seeing her like this.

Handing the note to Tali, Shepard picked up the package and the couple entered the apartment. It was evident that work had been done to ensure safety for the newlyweds. There was a decontamination chamber just inside the door, which activated automatically once the door was shut behind them.

After three minutes in the chamber, the couple moved further into the apartment and Shepard set the package down on the kitchen table. before he could open it, however, he heard a small hiss from behind him and turned only to be tackled by his, now unmasked, wife.

Before he knew what was happening she already had her lips clamped down on his. She tried to keep him pinned beneath her, but the former commander was just too strong for her. As the pair broke the kiss to breathe, Shepard rolled over, reversing their positions.

Tali was unable to contain herself and she began to giggle hysterically as Shepard removed her hood and started planting kisses up and down her neck. Before the couple could become more involved the comm. link terminal bleeped. Shepard looked over at the panel but Tali grabbed his head.

"Whoever it is, they can wait." she said as she pulled him into another passionate kiss. The comm. link bleeped again, and again, and again until Tali finally gave up and sighed. "Alright, see who it is." she said with obvious irritation "This had better be important or there will be hell to pay…" Shepard chuckled as he stood and helped her up.

"I think I will go see what Joker and EDI put in that package" she said as Shepard walked over to the comm. panel and answered it. "Hello?"

The voice of doctor Chakwas came through the comm. and Shepard had to smile a bit. The doctor had always been like family to him. Like a mother to him. Shepard held the doctor in great respect so he was only slightly angry that she had intruded on his and Tali's intimate moment.

"Hello Shepard. I just wanted to say happy honeymoon and I just found out what Jeff put into that package. If you haven't opened it already don't let Tali open it. Jeff thought it would be funny to put a copy of-" but the doctor was cut off as a loud gasp quickly followed by an angry growl issued from where Tali stood, looking at the newly opened package.

"Oh dear. I'm too late. I just hope she doesn't break anything vital next time she sees him. Have fun... John." Shepard was torn between worry at the contents of the package and shock at hearing the doctor use his first name. "Thanks... Karen."

Shepard cut the link and turned to see a furious expression on Tali's face. In her hand was a disc labeled in large red lettering at the top "Vaenia" all Shepard could do was stand there and wish he had opened the package. He had never before seen such a frightening expression on anyone's face, let alone Tali's.

Tali finally spoke, in the most vicious tone she had ever used in his presence "that good for nothing, low life, Elcor licking, Vorcha kissing, bosh'tet! When I get my hands on him I am going to break every bone in his body and feed him to a pack of feral Varren!"

She was shaking with anger and Shepard was almost afraid she would turn on him in blind fury at the pilot's prank. "Tali, dear, please calm down. You don't really mean that. You know Joker. He probably thought this would be a funny prank to pull on us." Shepard said tentatively as he slowly stepped toward her. She turned to glare at him but her expression softened when she saw the concern in his eyes... _Or was that fear?_

"I… I know Shepard. It's just… Sometimes I just want to…"

"Toss Joker out an airlock?" Shepard finished for her with a chuckle. "No nothing like… Ok maybe once… Or twice… Or every five minutes…" The couple just looked at each other for a moment and, almost simultaneously, they both burst out laughing.

Tali slapped Shepard on the shoulder lightly. "Damn it Shepard that wasn't fair. I had a good angry all worked up and you had to wreck it." She said in a mock-angry tone. Shepard pulled her into an embrace and kissed her neck.

Tali then grabbed her husband's head and locked her lips tightly onto his. Shepard's hands were roaming her back in search of the clasps of her suit when the comm. bleeped again. Shepard broke away from his wife with a groan of frustration. "Dammit what now?" Shepard said with a slight bit of anger.

When Shepard answered the comm. he had to laugh at what he saw on the monitor.

There was EDI holding Joker by the ear, in obvious pain. Tali walked over and burst out laughing at the pathetic look on Joker's face. "That's what you deserve you little bosh'tet" she said when EDI shook him a bit.

"Listen Tali, I'm sorry for the prank. It was a dumb idea, I shouldn't have done it."

Tali just giggled and waved a dismissive hand at him. "Thank you EDI." Shepard said as he closed the comm. with a chuckle.

* * *

When the pair collected themselves, they turned back to the package and noted the other contents were wrapped in cloth. "I'm almost afraid to say it but let's see what else is in there." Shepard said as he took out the first object and unwrapped it. It was a bottle of Chateau d'Yquem wine, circa 1892. "How did they ever find a bottle of wine this old! I can't believe it even survived this long."

Tali pulled out the next item and unwrapped it. It was a bottle of Turian brandy with an attached note. Tali read the note aloud:

"As an apology for Jeff's prank I had this brandy triple filtered and rebottled for you, enjoy Tali." "It's signed in binary... I guess EDI has acquired a sense of humor." The only items left in the package were two wine glasses and a silk robe meant for Tali.

"That was very considerate of her, especially after Joker's stunt." Shepard said as he moved past her to the glass lounge. "Hey Tali get your brandy and the glasses. We have a great view of the sunset from here."

Tali walked in and set her brandy down along with the glasses. "I will be right back. I need to go do something." She said in a whisper next to his ear just before she walked out of the room.

* * *

A few minutes later she slowly, silently, glided back into the room. Shepard didn't even notice she was there until she put her hands on his shoulders as she stood behind him. "What did you need to-" Shepard began but stopped when she set her entire suit, with the exception of her faceplate and hood, on the table. She slowly rotated around him and sat on his lap facing him. The only thing covering her was the thin silk robe.

Shepard's jaw hung open like a kid at a Candy store. "You like?" she teased as she smiled and kissed his cheek. He gently squeezed her sides and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. She broke the kiss after a time and slowly slid off of him into the chair next to his. "Later Shepard. For now let's watch this sunset and have some drinks."

Shepard nodded and poured her a glass of her brandy before pouring his glass of wine. The couple clinked their glasses together and sipped their drinks as the sun set on the distant, alien horizon.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I included the part with the first names of Shepard and Chakwas for anyone who had drinks with her in Mass Effect 3.**

**Another new note here: for those of you who PM'd me about me using a "fake" brand of wine in the story, google the name. It exists, so deal with it.**

**Other than that please review. I read them all and I appreciate the feedback.**


	6. Honeymooners

**Hey everyone, thanks for all the reviews and feedback. And facemelter, it's not that she doesn't know his name. It is more that she has always referred to him as Shepard. Also I hate to "be that gunut but could we please stop spamming the caps lock in the reviews? It makes me feel a bit nervous even when the review is good.**

**Anyway enough babbling. Here is the next chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go take a shower.**

***hangs "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door***

* * *

The next morning Shepard awoke to the sound of running water. As he stood and made his way toward the bathroom door he heard what sounded like humming coming from the shower. As he opened the door and quietly slipped inside he came to the conclusion that it was not humming. It sounded more like a large cat purring.

Shepard was extremely confused by this. He had been with Tali for a couple years now and had never once heard that sound come from her. He stood just inside the bathroom for a minute just watching her silhouette through the shower curtain. When she turned off the water and reached out for her towel on the towel rack he grabbed it as quietly as he could and tip toed closer. Tali, unaware of his presence tried to reach further along the rack to find the towel. She was still purring a bit when Shepard kissed the underside of her forearm and she squealed in shock.

Only then did Shepard realize he made a mistake, because as soon as she drew her arm back into the shower Tali sent out her combat drone on pure instinct and Shepard had to run to keep from getting zapped. "Tali! Call her off it's just me! Ouch!" just before Chiktikka disappeared she zapped Shepard in the small of his back, causing him to double over in pain.

A moment later Tali rushed out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel and knelt next to him. "Keelah Shepard I'm sorry. I.. I wasn't even thinking. I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" she said as she reached down to examine his back.

"No… I'm not ok… My wife just tried to kill me with her combat drone…" Shepard stood up painfully and moved over to the couch to lay down. When he heard her sniffle he looked up. "Tali? Are you ok? You aren't sick are you? Honey?"

Tali looked down at him with tears in her eyes and a confused look. "No… I'm not sick. I'm sorry about Chiktikka, it was instinct…" Shepard sat up quickly with a wince and took her hand.

"Tali it's ok. I understand. I was kidding about you trying to kill me. It's really not that bad. Just a bit sore. Please sit down here with me. I hate seeing you cry." Tali complied as she wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him sheepishly.

"Shepard... Why did you call me a condiment?" Shepard looked at her like she had Varren crawling out her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"You called me 'honey' I thought honey was a sweet condiment from earth." Shepard did a face palm. "I'm sorry, it's also a nickname couples often use. I called you honey because you are a sweet, caring, beautiful woman."

Tali couldn't help but smile at him after that. She blushed causing her skin to go a light shade of purple. "Could you explain something to me though?" Shepard asked "were you purring in the shower?" Tali looked extremely embarrassed now.

"It's a thing Quarian women do when… Well you see whenever we… It's a bit embarrassing to talk about…" she was now wringing her hands so much Shepard thought she might rub them raw.

"Tali if you don't want to talk about it then it's fine." Tali looked down at her hands and deliberately stopped them from moving. When she looked back at him she smiled shyly.

"Well when Quarian women are at a state of total relaxation our instincts take over and we think of the happier things in our lives. We go almost into a primal state. It is our most peaceful and most vulnerable time. We purr when we are in this state. I must have sounded like a crazy little girl playing a game or something…" Tali hung her head in shame and Shepard scooted closer to her to put his arm around his wife.

"Tali, you didn't sound like that at all. It was kind of cute. Tali looked at him and smiled. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, Tali, I'm not. It really did. I mean that combined with what I saw through that curtain…" Shepard leaned in to whisper directly into her ear "it was pretty sexy." He gently nibbled her ear causing her to giggle and push him away.

"I love you Shepard, but I am hungry. Besides I'm still sore from last night, you maniac." Shepard reluctantly stood and started walking away, when she stood to follow, however, he spun around and grabbed her towel off of her. Shepard then ran toward the lounge waving the towel in a victory celebration.

Tali shrieked and ran toward the bedroom to get her robe. "You little bosh'tet! When I get my hands on you I am going to wring your neck!" Tali stepped out of the bedroom in her robe, her eyes filled with anger as she glared at her husband. "You're lucky that I love you Shepard, otherwise I'd have Chiktikka finish you off." Shepard just laughed "I guess I am pretty lucky then."

* * *

An hour later Tali was finishing putting on her hood and was about to attach her faceplate. The couple had decided to go to the markets to find Tali something to wear other than her robe when at the apartment. Just before Tali clamped her faceplate on Shepard walked up to her and pulled her hand back. "One quick thing." he said as he leaned in to kiss her. Tali smiled and complied. "Now we can go."

Tali giggled a bit as she put on her faceplate. "Hey Shepard? I was thinking maybe we could go do something. I hear there is a great shooting range near the markets." Shepard looked at her suspiciously.

"Tali… Did you bring our-" he was cut off as she opened her suitcase and tossed his Widow and Phalanx at him just before she pulled out her Claymore and her own Phalanx. "How the hell did you get these through the security checkpoints?... Actually never mind. I don't want to know." Tali chuckled and started toward the door with Shepard right on her heels.

* * *

After shopping for three hours or, as Shepard thought of it, three hours of hell, the couple arrived at the K'M shooting gallery. "Odd name huh?" Shepard commented as he and Tali walked inside. They were greeted by a Quarian man behind the front desk.

"Welcome to the K'M shooting gallery. I am Kal'Moran, the owner. Standard fee is 50 credits a piece, looks like you got your own guns so no rentals. I sell thermal clips so if you need ammo just see me. You get an hour or 50 targets a piece, whichever you run out of first."

Kal'Moran then turned his head to Tali and spoke again. "Like I said standard fee is 50 credits but I think I can make an exception for you. 20 credits if you tell me your name." Shepard glared at the Quarian but he didn't seem to notice, Tali spoke up somewhat nervously. "It's Tali'Zorah."

"Alright 20 credits for you and 50 for this guy." Shepard looked annoyed as he paid and the pair stepped into the shooting range and shut the door behind them. "I don't like him" Shepard said as he loaded his Phalanx.

"He was just being nice Shepard. Calm down." Tali finished loading her Phalanx.

"If you say so. Let's see who is the monarch of the pistols here." Shepard said as he aimed his pistol at the first target and looked at Tali with a grin.

* * *

50 targets later and the pair was evenly matched. "I'll go get more targets Shepard." Tali said as she stepped back into the lobby. "Hey Kal'Moran, we need more targets." He looked up from his terminal and nodded. "For you no charge. For him standard fee. Why are you even hanging out with a human anyway? Don't you think it would be more fun with a man of my caliper?"

Tali rolled her eyes and sighed. "He happens to be my-" Kal'Moran cut her off "what boyfriend? You will be happier with a Quarian my dear. At least we are genetically compatible. He is a non dextro loser."

Tali became enraged at his statement. "He is my husband and his name is Commander John Shepard! My name is Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch nar Rayya! I recommend you start apologizing now or I might have a talk with the other admirals about the conduct of the main representative of Quarian culture on this planet!" Shepard exited the range with the couples gear after hearing his wife shouting. "Something wrong Tali?"

"Shepard unless you want to see this man dead keep my shotgun away from me. Let's go."

* * *

Two hours later and the couple was relaxing once more at Shepard's apartment.

"Hey Tali, I have an idea about our house." The couple was on the couch, Shepard sitting at one end while Tali was laying with her head in his lap. "Shepard, isn't it a little late for that? We already built the house." The former commander looked down at her and chuckled lightly.

"Well not the house itself but something on the property. How about we put in a pool?" Tali was momentarily confused, a pool of what? When she realize what he meant she felt a mixture of fear and shame. "Shepard why would you want a swimming pool?"

"Because it's fun to swim around and just relax… Are you ok?" Tali had stiffened slightly as he spoke. "Shepard I… I don't know how to swim. It was never an issue growing up in space on the flotilla… And I never…" she trailed off and looked around the room, doing anything to avoid meeting his gaze. Shepard reached down and rotated her head to look at him. "Tali it's ok, I can teach you to swim. It's really not that difficult, just takes practice."

"But what if I…" she began but Shepard cut her off before she could say the word. "I will _not_ let that happen. Trust me Tali. I will take care of you. I promise." She smiled at the love behind his words. "Ok Shepard. You win. Besides it would be pretty cool being the first Quarian to go swimming in over 300 years."


	7. Shock

One week later the couple had returned from their honeymoon to find a skycar parked in front of their house with a note on the windshield. The note read:

** The Systems Alliance Navy is proud to call John Shepard a hero of our ****ranks, to show our appreciation for your acts of valor in times of crisis we ****present to you this vehicle for your enjoyment in your well deserved retirement.**

** Wishing you and your new family the best,**

**Vice Admiral Winchester, **

**Alliance HQ, Moscow.**

Shepard turned to face Tali "hmm never figured they'd put the new HQ in Moscow. I thought it got hit pretty hard. Well looks like we have a brand new car." Tali smirked at him and grabbed the keys out of his hand.

"You mean I have a new car, you can have your pool." she said as she started running towards the house giggling. "Come back here you crazy Pyjak!" Shepard called as he gave chase.

Tali turned around and started walking backwards past the house, laughing "oh so I'm a Pyjak now?" Shepard reached out and tried to grab the keys but Tali just jumped out of the way. "Give me those keys!" Tali kept backing up and Shepard kept pursuing her until the couple had reached the end of the cliff. Tali was so distracted by her game that she didn't notice the edge and stepped backwards again. The expression on her face instantly went from one of amused glee to one of absolute terror.

Tali's world seemed to go into slow motion as she started to fall, in one moment her entire life flashed before her eyes: When she got her first suit. When she had been rescued by Shepard on the Citadel. When she had believed Shepard to be dead. Their reunion on Freedom's Progress. Their first kiss. When she told him she loved him not even 100 meters from where she currently stood. When he rushed on to the beam forcing Garrus to take her onto the Normandy. When she found him alive again.

Shepard lunged forward as his wife began to fall and reached her just as she went over the edge, clamping both of his hands down on her foot. "I got you. You're alright" he said as he pulled her back up over the edge and she wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could and started kissing his cheek.

"Shepard… It was so… I'm…" Tali struggled with her words and started shaking slightly in Shepard's arms. "Tali shhhhh… It's ok. I got you. You're safe." Tali smiled at her husband weakly and kissed him. "I love you Shepard." Shepard ran his fingers through his wife's hair.

"I love you too Tali, now let's go back inside and away from that…" Shepard trailed off as he noticed a small pool of red under Tali's exposed foot. "Tali you're bleeding!" Tali's expression was suddenly morbid. While she had adjusted to breathing the air of her home world as well as basic physical contact with outside elements, a cut could still be deadly.

"Come on we need to get you inside." Shepard lifted Tali up in his arms and moved back into the house quickly. "Shepard… I don't feel… I think…" Tali blacked out and Shepard began to panic. He got Tali inside and laid her on the couch.

"Oh shit… Oh shit…" He hurried over to the comm. panel in the wall and called Raan. "Answer damn it!" Shepard smacked the wall in frustration.

* * *

Raan was just stepping out of her shower when she heard the comm. bleeping. "Keelah... What now?" She wrapped her towel around her torso and answered the comm. "Yes?"

Raan's heart sunk when she saw the fear in Shepard's eyes. "Raan Tali cut her foot and passed out! I… I don't know what to do…" The admiral's day had gone nicely so far, housing development had been going well, she had no meetings so she could just relax, she even had an hour to devote to relaxing in the shower. Now she decided she had never had a worse day in her life. "Shepard, I need you to focus. get some of the dextro antibiotics and apply them to her foot. I will be right over." Raan cut the link to hurriedly put on her robe as she left her house.

* * *

Shepard did as instructed Shit… Shit… Shit… Shepard sat next to his wife and took her hand in his. "You're going to be alright… You're going to be fine…" Shepard wasn't sure if he was saying this for her sake or his, he couldn't imagine losing her, he refused to even think about it. He loved her so much.

Seeing his parents murdered by slavers before his eyes was scary. Seeing his team get killed by thresher maws was scary. Suffocating in the vacuum of space was scary. The thought of losing Tali... was terrifying.

"Shepard let me look at the cut." Shepard jumped as he was driven from his thoughts when Raan spoke up behind him. Shepard slides further toward Tali's head, allowing Raan a better view of the wound.

When Raan looked at the wound she let out a breath she was unaware she had been holding. "She is going to be alright Shepard, you prevented the cut from getting infected. We need to wrap her foot up so nothing can get in the cut." Raan then wrapped Tali's foot in gauze just below her two larger toes and above her smaller one.

"You're sure she will be alright?" Shepard was holding Tali's hand shakily and looking at Raan with a desperate gaze. "Don't worry Shepard. She will be alright, just stay at her side and be here when she wakes up." Shepard nodded and hesitated before asking

"Raan... Why are you in a robe?" The admiral instantly became self conscious and very nervous. "I… Well I had just gotten out of the shower when you called so…" she trailed off as she moved toward the door. "Take care of her Shepard." Raan said quickly as she left the house and returned home.

* * *

Shepard stayed by his wife's side until he fell asleep, still holding her hand. Tali began to wake up at around one o'clock the next morning and found her husband passed out with his head on her stomach and her hand in his. She smiled and looked past his head to her bandaged foot. He had stopped the infection from spreading... He saved her life twice in one day. Tali reached her free hand over to her husband's head and gently rubbed his cheek with her fingers.

Shepard began to stir and sat up with a yawn, still not releasing her hand. When he noticed she was awake he became overjoyed. "Tali, you're awake. Are you feeling alright? I was so worried." Tali couldn't help but smile at him as he spoke, when his worried line had ended she squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Shepard I'm ok. Don't worry, you took good care of me." The couple sat together for most of the day until Shepard, once again, struggled to make a dextro meal for his wife while she remained on the couch giggling.

When the pair had finished their food, they retired to the bedroom. Shepard spent the next two hours gently massaging his wife's feet, with focus on the two large toes. "Shepard, you really don't need to do this for me." Tali said as he was working on the inner toe of her left foot.

"Tali, I want to. It makes you feel good and you got an infection yesterday, you deserve some nice treatment." Shepard looked up at her and smiled before moving to her right foot.

"Shepard, what did I do to deserve a husband like you?" Without missing a beat he replied "You believed me about the reapers, you helped me stop the collectors, you stood by my side when most of the galaxy thought I was nuts, oh and let's not forget that wonderful accent of yours. Don't even get me started on those cute Quarian hands either." Shepard finished Tali's foot and slid up so his face was even with hers.

"Shepard, I love you." Tali leaned in and gave him a kiss and a smile. "I love you too Tali, goodnight sweetheart."


	8. Politics

**Hey everyone, glad to see people reviewing. As always I appreciate the feedback. **

**Heartless demon wolf, the cut could have been deadly due to possibility of infection.**

**Anyhow, here is the next chapter. Remember when I promised I wasn't being lazy with the human wedding? Well... Enjoy!**

* * *

The news of a member of the admiralty board marrying a Human spread rather quickly. The Quarian people were happy for the couple and were very understanding, given Shepard's reputation and deeds. The factor that made ripples in the political pool for the newlyweds was the fact that the couple had not had a proper Quarian wedding. They had chosen to have a Human ceremony and this was upsetting to many Quarians. The happy couple didn't know about the stir they caused until the meeting of the admiralty board one week after the couple returned from their honeymoon.

* * *

Tali arrived at the meeting to find Kal'Reeger outside looking nervous. When she stopped to ask what was wrong she heard a loud crash from inside and hurried past him. When she reached the other admirals she found an overturned table and Raan on the floor with Gerrel standing over her, yelling.

"If we don't remove her then we will all look like traitors, just like her!" as Gerrel finished his rant, Raan stood up and gasped at the sight of Tali. Admiral Xen was sitting quietly across the room with an air of sadistic glee. Korris was staring at Gerrel with an angry scowl. Tali was completely dumbstruck.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Tali exclaimed when she had taken in the full scene before her. "Auntie Raan, are you alright?" Tali walked over to Raan to ensure her safety but before Raan had a chance to respond Gerrel turned to Tali and started raving again.

"You have desecrated an honorable Quarian tradition! You have betrayed your people in favor of some Human 'hero!' You are a disgrace to our entire species!" Gerrel had done air quotes around the word hero and was now pointing his finger accusingly in Tali's face.

Tali was completely speechless._ I have never betrayed my people, I have done more for our people than anyone in this room ever dreamed of. I'm not a traitor for loving Shepard... Right?..._

Tali was drawn from her thoughts when Raan pushed her aside and stuck her finger in Gerrel's face. "How dare you say those things! Tali has never done anything to harm our people. Why does she not deserve a chance at happiness?"

Gerrel slapped Raan's hand away and was about to start up again when Korris stepped in and stood next to Raan. "Shala's right. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Tali. She has done more for our people than anyone alive."

* * *

An hour later the admirals were still arguing over Tali's situation. If she remained an admiral it could look as if all members of the admiralty board were disregarding tradition due to Tali's marriage. However, if they kicked her out they would look bad for the remaining admirals because of all the things Tali had done for her people in her lifetime.

"So what do you propose we do then Gerrel? Because from where I stand I don't see any options." Tali said defiantly as Gerrel paced back and forth.

* * *

Shepard had decided to walk into the city to meet Tali for dinner after her meeting. When he arrived to pick her up he was greeted by Kal'Reeger at the door looking frightened. "Reeger? You alright?" Shepard asked, concerned for his friend.

Reeger just shook his head and pointed at the doorway. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you Shepard... They're talking about you... And Tali..." Reeger moved a step from the door and Shepard entered.

Gerrel was pacing infront of Tali "the only option I see here is to have Shepard go through the ritual. That is the only thing that will put all of our people's fears to rest."

Tali spoke up in a dismissive rebuttal "I will not force Shepard to do that. If it is either my seat on the admiralty board or potentially Shepard's life then I will resign." Tali looked past Gerrel and went wide eyed when she saw Shepard standing just inside the door.

"Tali, what's going on? Why are you resigning and what does this have to do with me?" Shepard asked as he approached her with a confused expression.

Before Tali could answer, Xen spoke up "the people are unhappy with Tali getting married in a human ceremony. They believe that the admiralty board is disregarding tradition by allowing it."

"They want you to go through the Quarian marriage ritual..." Tali said dis-heartedly "it's very dangerous and I don't want to lose you. That's why I'm resigning." Tali finished as she hugged him with a pleading expression on her face.

"Tali I'm not letting you give this up because of me. Besides I've killed reapers, Geth, thresher maws, mechs, giant plants, and deranged matriarchs. I'll be ok." Shepard said as he rubbed her back comfortingly.

Shepard then turned to the other admirals inquisitively "so what is this ritual? What makes it so dangerous?" Korris had already snuck off and was out the door. Xen was sitting silently with a malicious grin on her face. Gerrel was smiling at Raan expectantly.

Raan finally spoke up with reluctance "you must survive alone without any assistance or weapons on a planet of the admiralty board's choosing for one week. Neither Tali nor I will be able to vote on the planet because we are so close to you personally."

Shepard was a little off put by the task. "So I need to stay alive for one week on whatever planet Xen, Gerrel, and Korris put me on?" _Well at least Korris seems to like me enough that he might put me somewhere survivable..._

Before Raan could respond she was cut off by Xen. "Actually by leaving during this session Korris cannot have a say in the matter either. It will be up to me and admiral Gerrel."

"And I know exactly where I want to send you." Gerrel interjected. Shepard was starting to get a bad feeling about this entire situation. Knowing Gerrel, Shepard was likely about to be sent a veritable living hell.

Gerrel and Xen looked at each other with devious smiles. Then they both said, in near unison "Parnack." Shepard had heard the name of the planet before but could not remember the context of the conversation.

"For Tali, I'll do it. When do I leave and how do I get there?" Shepard asked as Tali tightened her grip on him. Raan looked at him morbidly "You will be taken there by shuttle at eight tomorrow morning."

* * *

Tali was sitting on the couch in her and Shepard's house weeping when Shepard finally made it home. After Raan had explained the ritual to Shepard she had run off and taken the skycar home. She couldn't face the reality of the situation, the possibility of losing him...

When Shepard walked inside and saw his wife crying he ran over to her immediately. "Tali, honey are you ok?" Shepard reached out to her but she batted his hand away. "You bastard! You said you wouldn't leave again! You promised me!" Tali was yelling at him still crying hysterically.

"You promised to stay with me and now you are going to go get yourself killed! I won't... I can't lose you again!" Shepard felt his heart cracking. Seeing her like this hurt more than any injury he had ever suffered. When he reached out to hold her again she didn't resist. Shepard pulled her into his arms.

"Shhh Tali, it'll be ok. You won't lose me. I meant what I said, I will never leave again. I am going to come home and we are going to live a long, happy life together. I promise I will come home."

Tali looked up at him still sniffling "You mean that?" he simply nodded in response.

Tali perked up slightly and dried her eyes "Good... Because if you don't come home I'll kick your ass" she said with a slight, weak chuckle.

Shepard kissed her and sighed "I love you Tali" She smiled at him and kissed him back. "I love you too Shepard."


	9. Parnack

**Hey everyone. I have returned and I am glad to see I have gained followers in my absence. Anyway I bet you don't want to hear anything about the trip. It was actually rather dissapointing. So here is the chapter I promised you. Enjoy :)**

The shuttle arrived for Shepard at exactly eight o'clock the next morning. He had been allowed to take no weapons and no armor. As he stepped aboard the shuttle he turned and kissed Tali goodbye. "I'll be back in a week Tali. I promise."

Tali stood and watched the shuttle fly away until it was beyond her eyesight. _Keelah... I hope he comes back to me..._ She turned and went back into the house, she knew exactly how to welcome him home.

* * *

Three hours after leaving Rannoch Shepard was deposited in an open field on Parnack. He still couldn't remember where he had heard the name of the planet before but that was irrelevant now.

The first thing he did was to search for some kind of shelter, Shepard started jogging toward a large mountain that he estimated to be about three kilometers away. When he reached the mountain he found what he was hoping for, a small cave. Just deep enough to conceal him but not deep enough to worry about animal residents.

The rest of his first day was spent crafting makeshift tools out of stone and wood, then creating a "door" for his cave with a large boulder he rolled in front of the opening. After covering the cracks between the boulder and cave entrance with vegetation he used some odd plants resembling large earth ferns to create bedding.

Checking his omnitool for signs of nearby life and finding nothing large enough for concern, Shepard lay on his makeshift bed and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning Shepard awoke to the sound of rustling just outside his cave. In seconds the former commander was pressed against the boulder at the entrance of his cave. Peering around through a crack between the entrance and the boulder Shepard saw a large animal grazing about three meters from the entrance.

The animal resembled an Earth cow in basic features, however there were obvious differences. The one which caught Shepard's eye first was the creature's head... Or heads. The animal's neck split in two and supported two, large, bovine heads. One of the heads had small horns above it's eyes and the other head had only one large eye.

The animal's skin was a bright red color with spots of purple along it's back and sides. It had two, snake-like tails which were coiling around each other in the air, and a large lump in the center of it's back.

Though Shepard couldn't bring any guns, they never said he couldn't use his omnitool. Shepard activated his cloak and slipped out of his cave. When he was close enough to strike he activated his omniblade and cut across both of the animal's necks.

The creature fell over, dead. Shepard quickly used a cryogenic blast from his omnitool to freeze the carcass and began dragging it back into his cave. After he had gotten the corpse behind the boulder he sat down with a huff. "You're a heavy bastard you know that?" he said as he leaned against the wall and patted the dead creature.

* * *

The former commander had been about to go out in search of water when the skies opened up and it began to rain. Shepard took some of the hide from the creature to create a small barrel along with some sticks and an oddly smelling compound, which seemed to mimic the properties of clay, he had found near the rear of the cave. He then set the barrel outside behind a few ferns.

With water and food both now taken care of the ex commander was slightly more at ease. He sat and roasted a section of meat from the cow-like creature with is omnitool, shortly after finishing his meal he lay once more on his bedding. "Only five more days..."

* * *

The next three days passed without any incident. It had rained so much the second day that Shepard hadn't needed to find water since then and there was more left over meat from the creature than Shepard would ever need. On the day before he returned home however, the shit hit the fan.

Shepard had been sitting near the back of his cave when the boulder door was violently tossed away and he was quickly reminded of where he had heard the name of this planet before. This was the Yagh's home planet, and this one seemed pissed off.

Shepard immediately turned on his tactical cloak and tried to remain as still as possible. The large Yahg glared into the cave and then focused on the dead creature near the mouth of the cave. "You have slaughtered my Roequip and trespassed on my land Human. You must die for this. I can smell you here. You should show yourself, perhaps I will kill you quickly."

The Yahg was slightly smaller than the Shadow Broker had been but was still obviously more than Shepard could handle. The thing that caught Shepard's attention most however was the civil tone the Yahg used and the seemingly feminine voice it possessed. Without any weapons Shepard had no other choice than to make an attempt at diplomacy. Perhaps the females were more docile?

Shepard disengaged his cloak with a deep breath and raised his arms above his head in surrender. "Alright you have me. But if you would please allow me to explain myself perhaps we could reach a peaceful solution, miss?" Shepard could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he spoke. _I'm dead meat..._

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**Cliff Hanger! Please remember to review  
**


	10. Besheenkii

**Hello again my friends. Are you ready for this chapter? Are you sure? Well alright if you say so. Here you go, enjoy.**

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For a moment the pair just stood staring at each other. Shepard and the Yahg. She was the first to speak.

"You know that I am female? Most other species cannot tell the difference."

_I am the luckiest son of a bitch in the galaxy. _Shepard was caught off guard slightly by the sudden drop in aggression from the Yahg before him. He remained silent as the Yagh glared at him.

"How? How did you know?" the Yahg asked as she took a single step closer, making Shepard more than a little nervous.

"You have an attractive, feminine voice. Not like the other Yahg I have met. I really hope we can reach a-" Shepard began but was cut off when the Yahg wrapped her arms around him cutting off his air.

"Can't... Breathe..." he choked out after a moment, and the Yahg released him. When Shepard looked back up at her face he could swear she was blushing.

"I apologize, you... You actually think my voice is attractive?..." she asked with all eight of her eyes beaming down at him optimistically.

_I am either completely screwed or saved... Well nothing ventured... _Shepard looked up at her and nodded "yes I do. Why are you so surprised?" just after Shepard had finished speaking a long, sickening, howl pierced the air. The Yahg looked over her shoulder nervously.

"We should not remain here. The Proquis hunt here and they would surely smell you." with that she grabbed Shepard by the arm and gently tugged him toward the mouth of the cave.

Just outside the cave the was a large vehicle resembling an old earth pick up. The difference being that you could fit a decent sized pick up truck into the bed of this vehicle. When the pair reached it, the Yahg lifted Shepard up into the passenger side and quickly went around to the opposite side and got in. She then pressed a series of buttons on a large 'plus' shaped object where the wheel would have been and drove away.

Shepard looked over at the Yahg nervously "Where exactly are we going?" he asked. She glanced over at him with two of the eyes on the right side of her head, and replied with a chuckle "My home, unless you would rather be ripped to shreds by the Proquis?"

Shepard continued to look over at her confused. "What is a Proquis?" he asked after a moment. With another chuckle she turned her head to him. "A Proquis is a creature that I am told greatly resembles your earth bears. They are usually about three meters from snout to tail and they have a fine purple fur. They look rather majestic except for the fact that they have razor sharp talons on each paw and a highly toxic bite."

Shepard turned forward once more "Oh... Thanks." the Yahg stopped the vehicle infront of what looked like an old, yellow, ranch house aside from it's being about double the size in every respect, from the oversized furniture to the gigantic barn behind the house.

"Well here it is. My home." she said as she got out and began walking toward the door of the house. Shepard opened his door and hopped down to the ground to follow her. _Great, now I am either going to be cut up like a cow at slaughter or held captive like the author in that old Earth novel that Tali has been reading. Shit..._

Shepard followed the Yahg inside and she closed the door behind him. "Now you can explain why I shouldn't just kill you for slaughtering my Roequip and trespassing on my land." she said as she sat in a large, green armchair and indicated a similar chair next to her's with a relaxed wave of her hand.

Shepard sunk into the oversized fabric and, after taking a moment to get comfortable, he told the Yahg about his wife, the political mess back on Rannoch, and how Xen and Gerrel had chosen to send him to Parnack. When Shepard had finished speaking the Yahg leaned toward him from her chair and patted his leg with a sigh.

"Well Mr. Shepard, you didn't lie to me, good choice. I can forgive you for your actions, given the circumstances." she said with a gleeful tone. "And you are welcome to stay here until your shuttle arrives tomorrow, I do want a word with these admirals when thare come for you..." she added with a chuckle.

"Thank you, though you do have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, I am unaware of yours." Shepard replied kindly, smiling. _Well... This was unexpected. At least now I can keep my promise. _

"Oh of course how rude of me. My name is Besheenkii. Now if you will follow me I will show you where you will be staying." Besheenkii replied as she stood and walked toward a staircase on the wall opposite the door. Shepard stood and followed her up the stairs.

Besheenkii led Shepard to a small bedroom at the end of the hall at the top of the stairs. The room had a bed which, by Yahg standards, was only a single. To Shepard however, it was about the size of a queen sized mattress. Besheenkii then turned to Shepard and spoke with a slightly embarrassed tone "You may want to shower before you go home tomorrow. The bathroom is the first door on the left outside your room." With that she turned and left the room.

Shepard quickly sniffed at his shirt and gagged. With red cheeks he hurriedly went into the restroom and spent a full half hour scraping away nearly a week's worth of grime.

_Tali, I'm coming home._

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**I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter. Whoever can identify what book I am referencing in the story gets to name a character for a future chapter. I'm only accepting the first three entries so don't hold back. I'll even give you a hint, It's a Steven King book. :)**


	11. Homecoming

**Hello again my friends. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please remember to review.**

* * *

At eight the next morning Shepard and Besheenkii were waiting out in the field where Shepard had first been dropped off a week prior. When the shuttle landed out stepped admirals Xen and Gerrel. When admiral Xen spoke her voice was filled with fear and surprise.

"Shepard you survived!" Xen began but immediately hushed when she took notice of the imposing figure next to the former commander. "What... I mean who is this?" Xen stuttered as she took a step backwards, toward the open shuttle door.

"This is Besheenkii, I think that she has something to tell the two of you." Shepard stated simply as he trodden past Xen and Gerrel and into the awaiting shuttle. This ought to be good...

Xen looked over at Gerrel nervously, her hands twitching slightly at her sides. She appeared as though she might faint when Besheenkii began speaking in a harsh voice.

"You have no right to dump some Human on my land! You have disgraced my rights and cost me one of my finest Roequips! If you ever return to this planet. I. Will. Find. You." Besheenkii was now pointing one large finger directly into Xen's face, the tip mere centimeters from her faceplate. "Do I make myself entirely clear? Or should I just kill you now and save myself some trouble later?"

After an onset of incomprehensible stuttering and sputtered apologies, Both Xen and Gerrel practically leaped onto the shuttle. Slamming the door behind them.

* * *

The shuttle was already outside the atmosphere by the time Xen or Gerrel collected themselves again.

Gerrel turned and addressed Shepard with a voice of mixed hatred and admiration. "How the hell did you manage to survive with one of those horrible beasts?" Shepard looked at him and replied in a mock-innocent voice

"Well it was simple diplomacy. Perhaps if you had any leadership skills you could be a diplomat some day." at this Gerrel obviously tensed and started to stand, but sat back down quickly when Shepard cracked his knuckles loudly with a chuckle.

* * *

When Shepard was dropped off at his and Tali's house around twelve he was treated by a note on the front door. Shepard smiled as he read it.

* * *

To: The greatest husband in the galaxy

I really missed you. I hope you will forgive me for not meeting you when you got off the shuttle. I had some work done out back while you were gone so go take a look. I will see you soon sweetheart.

Love Tali

-P.s.  
I went to Illium and I have a special surprise for you.

* * *

Shepard went inside and put the note on the kitchen table. Before going out through the sliding glass doors leading to the rear of the couple's home, he grabbed a glass of ice cold water. As he walked through the doors he couldn't help but laugh at Tali's thoughtfulness.

Before him, embedded in the ground, was a clear and massive pool. It was, as far as Shepard could guess, about ten meters long and about five meters wide. The shimmering surface was the most inviting thing Shepard had seen in a week, until he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

When Shepard turned around his jaw dropped and his glass of water nearly followed suit. Tali was standing before him wearing a purple bikini top and a short, angled, purple skirt which came down to her right knee and about halfway up her left calf. Tali took a single step towards him, swaging her hips seductively, and slowly reached up and closed his mouth for him with one hand whilst taking his glass from him with the other.

"I missed you John" she said as she sat his glass down on a glass topped patio table "I hope you like the pool." Tali smiled sweetly and kissed Shepard's cheek. Tali then moved past Shepard, swinging her hips, toward the shimmering water of the pool.

Shepard's turned, watching her walk. When she reached the edge of the pool, Tali sat and allowed he legs to dangle in the water creating small ripples on the smooth surface. Shepard walked over and sat down cross legged behind her. He then gently pulled on her shoulders and she leaned backwards, comfortably resting her head in his lap.

"I missed you too Tali. And I do like the pool..." Shepard allowed his voice totrail off, teasing her was always fun. "I sense a 'but' in this conversation." Tali said as she looked up at him incredulously.

Shepard chuckled and ran his fingers through his wife's hair. "But, as nice as it looks, it doesn't compare the the beautiful woman I'm looking at right now." Shepard stated in as flat a tone as he could manage. Tali smiled up at her husband and sighed. "You bosh'tet. You had me worried for a moment there."

Tali sat up and pulled her legs out of the water. As she was about to stand Shepard pulled her fee into his arms and stood himself. "Shepard what are you doing you bosh'tet?" Tali asked as Shepard carried her into the house. Shepard sat down on the couch but continued to hold onto Tali.

"Oh nothing I just was wondering what my special surprise from Illium was." Shepard replied as he leaned down to kiss Tali on her forehead. Tali looked up at him with a secretive smirk. "Oh you would? Well then" Tali stood up and lightly patted his cheek "you wait right here. I'll be back." with that she scampered into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

* * *

About 10 minutes later Tali emerged from the bedroom wearing her thin silk robe and holding a note in one hand and the other rested on her swaying hip. Tali slowly approached Shepard, continuing to allow her hips to sway. When Shepard was about to speak she placed a finger to his lips and pressed the note into the palm of his hand. She than turned and retreated to the bedroom once more.

Shepard was confused until he read the note.

"come and take your present commander"

With that Shepard dropped the note and was at the bedroom door before the note hit the floor. When he entered he was greeted by the sight of Tali laying, completely nude, on the bed surrounded by what appeared to be flower petals scattered over the bed. She looked up at him invitingly and Shepard stepped forward, closing the door behind him.

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Remember to review and congratulations to our three winners of the last chapter's contest.**


	12. Lessons

**Hello again readers. I'm Sorry for how long it took for this last update I had some severe writer's block and when I finally did have the chapter done my computer crashed. Anyway enough about my problems, here is the next chapter you have all been waiting for. Enjoy :)**

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The next morning Tali awoke to find Shepard already out of bed. When she stood and found her robe she stepped outside into the hall to look for him. As she approached the kitchen she heard a splash from the open back door to the home. When she looked out the door she saw Shepard swimming in the pool and she couldn't help but smile.

Shepard surfaced and spun around in the water when he heard Tali giggle from the patio. "Enjoying the view dear?" Shepard asked with a smirk before swimming to the edge of the pool. Tali couldn't help but blush.

"Maybe...or maybe I am wondering when I will get those lessons you promised me." she replied as she offered him a hand to pull him out of the pool. When Shepard grabbed her hand she was surprised by him pulling her in with him.

Tali felt a mixture of panic and rage as she splashed around desperately trying to grab hold of something. When she found the edge of the pool she clung to it like a Salarian to a reproduction contract. Once Tali had calmed herself down some, she turned and glared at Shepard.

"You... You... Bosh'tet! You know I can't swim! What is wrong with you!?" Tali had never been this furious with her husband, never yelled at him like this before. "Tali I'm sorry, I was just-" Shepard began but was cut off by a slap to the face as she clambered out of the pool and ran into the house.

Shepard felt horrible. He had only been playing around, he didn't mean to upset Tali. He only wanted to joke around. Shepard climbed out of the pool to pursue his wife and found the bedroom door locked when he tried to get her.

"Tali, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Please open the door." Shepard said apologetically. Tali was laying on the bed trying to halt the tears in her eyes when Shepard knocked.

Tali wanted to tell him to go away but she just couldn't. she reached over to the nightstand and hit the lock control for the door. When Shepard entered and saw the tears in his wife's eyes his heart broke.

"Oh Tali, honey I'm sorry. I was just kidding around sweetheart. You know I'd never let anything happen to you. You mean everything to me." Shepard reached down cupped Tali's face in one hand "You're why I get up in the morning, Tali. You are the only reason why I even tried to signal for help back on Earth. I love you Tali."

_Damn him... He always knows what to say when I'm upset..._ Tali wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "Every time I get upset you always manage to dig yourself out of the well." Tali sat up and embraced Shepard.

"John..." she whispered. "Yes?"

"Never talk like that about earth again..." Tali said, squeezing him tighter. Shepard returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"I won't, I promise."

* * *

Around one o'clock in the afternoon Shepard was waiting out on the rear patio when Tali emerged in her new purple bikini. She was wringing her hands in front of her and looked rather nervous.

"J-John... Maybe this is just a dumb idea..." Tali stuttered as she stepped closer to him. Her eyes shifting from him to the pool and back again. Shepard hugged his wife, lightly rubbing her back to calm her.

"Tali you'll be fine. Don't worry. I promise I won't let anything happen." Shepard smiled at her and she kissed him on the cheek. "How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" shepard asked, cocking one eyebrow. "You always know what to say to make me feel better" Tali said, matter-of-fact-ly. Shepard just smiled again and began leading Tali toward the shallow end of the pool.

* * *

Shepard knew that Quarians were fast learners, but this was just crazy. In just three hours Tali had all but mastered basic swimming. Shepard currently sat on the edge of the pool, his feet in the water. Tali was swimming around having the time of her life. Whenever she came up for air she would be giggling which would, in turn, make Shepard chuckle.

Shepard was about to get up when he felt Tali grab his legs as she surfaced right in front of him. "Well if it isn't the Olympic swimmer." Shepard said with a smile.

Tali cocked her eyebrow in confusion "Olympic swimmer?" Shepard chuckled and shook his head slowly. "I'll explain later. You are a natural Tali."

Tali giggled and blushed. "help me get out of here. I have a reward for you teaching me." Shepard offered her his hand and she pulled him into the pool and then scrambled out. When Shepard surfaced he saw Tali's bikini on the ground and caught a glimpse of her ass as she ran inside toward the bedroom.

_I love this woman... _And with that Shepard practically flew out of the pool and into the house. His swim trunks landing outside the bedroom as the door slammed shut.

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**I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. I will be going back on my word concerning the contest. There is one person who I am still waiting on a name from but I can't wait any longer. You know who you are and I apologise for saying you lost your opportunity. Anyway please remember to review.**


	13. Batarian Politics

**Hello again my friends. I know it's been a while but I hope you can forgive me, this is the longest one yet after all... Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**

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About six months after the former commander returned from Parnack, development on Rannoch was going better than anyone could have predicted. The former Capitol was being restored and the Capitol building was nearly completed.

Tali was looking forward to the meeting today. After months and months of meeting on the mostly dismantled Rayya, she was glad to finally be meeting inside the new Capitol building.

The day of the meeting Tali got up particularly early. After a brief shower she kissed Shepard's cheek and left a note on the nightstand. With a smile on her face she exited the house and drove away.

* * *

Tali accomplished her goal of being the first to arrive. She wandered thought the empty stone halls, admiring the ancient stone tiles on the floor and the more recent artwork that hung on the walls. When she reached the center of the building she found the meeting room. Upon entering she couldn't help but marvel at the extremely high, circular walls capped by a large glass dome.

Walking into the center she orbited the circular, wooden table. This piece had been her idea. While poking around in a few old earth novels, which she borrowed from Shepard's at home office, she found a lot of references to the knights of the round table. After doing some further research on the extranet she thought it would be a nice concept to adopt for their meetings.

Tali circled the table a couple more times before deciding which seat she would claim. Just as she sat down across from the door she entered through Raan walked in, with Korris right on her heels. "Tali, I'm surprised you're here so early." she said as she took the seat to the right of Tali.

"I'm not, I didn't think she would want to miss out on taking in the new building while it was still quiet." Korris commented as he sat to Tali's left. Tali smiled guiltily and gazed up at the glass dome. Raan followed her gaze and sighed, "it is quite the view isn't it?" Tali just nodded in response before turning her attention to the door as it opened yet again, this time allowing entrance to Tali's two least favorite people, Xen and Gerrel.

Tali was a generally kind person but she simply would never be able to tolerate those two. With what they did to endanger the fleet, her life, and Shepard's... They would never be people whose company she would enjoy.

The final seats being filled, the meeting began. It wasn't anything of great importance, mostly just details on reconstruction efforts and farming progress. All in all things were going pretty well.

When the board was about to close the meeting there was a sudden, loud crash from the hallway. "What the hell was that?" Xen exclaimed as she jumped behind Gerrel's chair and grabbed his arm.

Just then the door burst open and three Batarians entered, all carrying assault rifles. Two of them aimed their rifles at the admirals while the other closed the door behind them.

"If you don't make any fuss then nobody has to get hurt." said the Batarian near the door. Xen raised her hand and began to speak but the leader pulled out his pistol and fired so close to her face the she felt the heat off the bullet. Xen immediately hid behind Gerrel and gripped his arm tighter.

* * *

Shepard had woken up about an hour after Tali left and found her note asking him to meet her for lunch at the new dextrized humanity restaurant. When he arrived he saw several military vehicles parked outside the Capitol building. Shepard walked over to a marine to ask what was going on.

"Sir I need you to... Oh Commander Shepard. What can I do for you sir?" the marine said with a nervous salute. Shepard chuckled a bit and returned the salute "at ease marine. What's your name?"

"Seera'Lay vas Tombay sir" she replied, still nervous. Shepard chuckled again "you can drop the sir too Seera. What's going on?" Shepard asked with a gesture toward the Capitol building.

Seera almost froze when she remembered where she was. "Batarian assailants are holding the admiralty board hostage. We are currently..." Shepard was gone before hearing the rest of what she said.

Shepard ran as fast as possible to his and Tali's car and pulled his phalanx out of the glove compartment. As he popped in a fresh thermal clip he activated his cloak and slipped inside.

* * *

The Batarians had gathered all the admirals into a tight circle in one corner of the room. There was a noise from the hallway and the leader looked at the door and barked at his men "if they move, shoot them." He then flung the door open and stepped outside.

Shepard slipped inside while the door was open and quickly dispatched the two batarians guarding the admirals. When the leader heard the shots he spun around only to find a pistol pointed directly at his face.

"Balak... I told you that if I ever saw you again I'd end you... Now you decide to threaten my wife? Not smart..." Shepard took a bit of pride in the mortified expression on Balak's face just before he pulled the trigger.

Tali jumped up and ran to her husband. "John! Thank goodness you came. If you hadn't come we would have-" Shepard cut her off with a kiss as he embraced her. The couple parted when the doors were once again flung open. Shepard aimed his pistol at the doorway but lowered it when he saw Seera along with two other marines.

"What's happened? We heard..." she began but trailed off when she saw the three dead Batarians on the floor and the pistol in Shepard's hand. "When did... How did you... Where..." she stuttered, scratching the side of her head.

"Seera don't worry about it." Shepard replied, halting her ramblings. "Now we can all relax. Right?" Tali giggled at Shepard's calm disposition and hugged him tighter. Seera smiled and was turning to leave when her omnitool bleeped. She brought two fingers to her ear "yes? What!? Please tell me you didn't just say bom-"

The ground shook and she could hear screaming from the person on the other end of the line. Shepard turned to Seera concerned. She was shaking. "I don't know what to do... Bomb... Batarians set a bomb in..." she trailed off as panic set in. Shepard released his wife and gently grabbed Seera's shoulders. "Seera, I need you to focus. Where was the bomb?"

Seera stuttered out the beginning of the word hospital and Shepard took off through the doors. Tali right on his heels. When they got outside they saw that about half of the new hospital was on the ground in shambles. What was left wouldn't last long. Shepard turned to Tali "Tali, I need to go help. Please stay outside. I don't want you to get hurt." After a moment Tali nodded hesitantly and Shepard kissed the top of her head before running inside.

* * *

Shepard made his way through the halls. Thankfully the hospital was relatively empty. Only four patients were checked in and the whole staff was not present yet. Three of the patients were near the entrance on the ground floor of the six story building, all of whom were accounted for. Shepard saw one patient checked in on the third floor. An elderly male in for a severe allergic reaction.

Shepard quickly bolted up the nearest staircase and arrived on the third floor within a minute. He didn't believe he would find the man alive. The bomb had appeared to be on the third floor. When Shepard reached the room he found a truly sad sight. The patient, the doctor, and someone who could only have been his wife were laying dead. Shepard was about to give up hope when he heard a cough from the other side of the bed.

Shepard vaulted over the bed and found a young Quarian girl, around nine or ten by Shepard's guess, sprawled out on the floor, her leg bent at an awkward angle. When she saw Shepard she reached for him desperately, tears staining her eyes. "You're safe now. Shhh... It's alright." Shepard said as calmly and softly as possible as he lifted her into his arms. She was covered in dust and her dark red hair was dotted with pieces of debris.

As Shepard carried her out of the room and toward the stairs she wrapped her arms tightly around Shepard's neck, almost cutting off his airflow. When they reached the relief workers outside she refused wouldn't let go of Shepard until he promised to stay with her.

Shepard called out for Tali and she came running to his side. The couple stayed with the girl until they knew she was safe. They promised to come back to see her the next day and went home.

* * *

When the pair arrived at home they both were tired and both in desperate need of a shower. Shepard kissed Tali on the cheek "you can shower first if you want sweetheart." he said with a weak smile. Tali grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the bathroom. "the shower is big enough for two John. Besides, you deserve a nice reward for what you did today."

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**Exciting times huh? Please remember to review. I do read all reviews and I greatly appreciate the feedback.**


	14. Sheela'Vae

**Greetings again my beloved readers, I apologies in advance for the shortness of this chapter. It I think you will nderstand my reasoning after you read. Enjoy :)**

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The next day Shepard and Tali were at the makeshift clinic in front of the wrecked hospital sitting with the young girl. She had been cleaned up overnight and she was positively glowing when she saw Shepard enter the tent. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

"Hey. How are we doing this morning?" Shepard asked as he pulled a two chairs over near her bed and sat in the one closest to her face. She sat up and Shepard grabbed a pillow for her to prop herself up with.

"Better. They said my leg should be alright in a month or two." she replied, tapping the cast with one finger.

"You look better. Yesterday I couldn't see much of you past all the dirt. I had a feeling there was a beautiful young girl under there though." Shepard said with a smile. "Though you never did tell me your name." The girl giggled a bit before answering "My name is Sheela'Vae vas Altistan."

Sheela'Vae was tall for her age, standing at just about Tali's height, and her hair was a tinted amber color, only coming about to her chin. As white as Tali's skin was, Sheela's was positively alabaster. The thin lines that graced Tali's neck were nearly mirrored in dark orange on Sheela's. Her eyes a dark, soft red.

Tali walked in and held the tent flap open for a moment while she finished talking to a doctor. Sheela looked past her at the obliterated hospital and sighed. Shepard followed her line of sight and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You alright Sheela?" he asked when she turned her eyes back to him. Sheela smile faintly and shook her head slightly. "I will be. I am going to miss my Mom and Dad but I think I'll be alright..." she finished with a slight sniff and Shepard ran his fingers through her hair. "It'll be alright Sheela. I promise I'll take care of you ok?"

Her expression changed instantly, her weak, forced smile now a wide, joyful grin.

Tali finally finished talking with the doctor and closed the tent flap. When she sat down and saw the grin on Sheela's face she couldn't help but smile as well. It seemed to take a minute for Sheela to register the fact that she and Shepard were no longer alone, when she finally noticed Tali she giggled and blushed.

"Well you certainly seem to be in a good mood. I'm guessing you're feeling better?" Tali asked. "Yeah, my leg doesn't hurt quite as much as yesterday and it's nice to have someone actually talk to me, not about my condition." Sheela turned her head and smiled at Shepard, who in turn patted the back of her hand.

"Hey Shepard. Can I please talk to you outside for a second?" Tali asked with a nod toward the tent entrance. Shepard nodded and stood to follow Tali outside, after squeezing Sheela's hand briefly. "We'll be right back Sheela."

* * *

After the couple had closed the flap behind them and taken a few steps Tali turned to Shepard with a sad expression on her face. "John she has no family left. Her parents died yesterday and she doesn't have any extended family. And she seems to have taken a liking to you..."

Shepard frowned but that faded when he picked up on where his wife was going with this. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Tali looked away and started wringing her hands. "I am suggesting that we adopt this girl. She needs a family and..." Tali trailed off, slightly embarrassed by the rest of the sentence.

Shepard decided to poke at the issue "And... What dear?"

"And I thin we would make good parents and we can't exactly have a child of our own so..." Tali was wringing her hands furiously now and Shepard decided to put her out of her misery. "Tali" he said, gently grabbing her wrists "I think adopting her is a wonderful idea, but you are forgetting one important thing."

Tali smiled and cocked her head to one side "And what would that be?" Shepard pointed back at the tent "Her opinion.

* * *

When she couple returned to the tent Shepard stood next to Sheela and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Sheela, we have something we wanted to ask you." he said with a smile. "What is it?" Sheela asked suspiciously, looking back and forth between Shepard and Tali.

Tali smiled hopefully "Well we know you lost your family and we want to ask you to join our family, if you want to. It's alright if you don't, I mean..." Tali trailed off and looked down at her wringing hands. Meanwhile Sheela was beside herself with joy.

"Yes!" Sheela practically screamed it.

Sheela was so enthusiastic that her reaction actually made Shepard jump slightly. Tali almost couldn't believe her ears. She moved to embrace her new daughter and she still could barely believe what was happening to her family.

_I have a daughter... No... WE have a daughter..._

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**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I am looking forward to seeing some reviews up.**


	15. Home

**Hello again my friends. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Oh and I almost forgot, to directly answer a review by the anonymous "Tim" I did.**

* * *

After about a week of recovery Shepard and Tali brought Sheela to her new home. Sheela was going to have to use a wheelchair for at least another week before she could start trying to walk. When Shepard and Tali got out of the car Shepard opened Sheela's door and, rather than getting her chair, picked her up in his arms and carried her to her new bedroom.

Shepard had spent the past three days converting his office into a bedroom for his daughter. Shepard waited for Tali to catch up with Sheela's wheelchair before he opened the door. Sheela rolled inside and was struck speechless by all the work Shepard had done.

The room was about four meters by five meters, with a large window looking out at the pool and a large, king-sized, oak framed bed under the center of the window. The bedspread was a dark ruby shade which matched the curtains on the window.

Looking around the room Sheela admired the dresser and desk, both oak as well, and the large closet, already stocked with beautiful sundresses and shoes. Sheela spun around to look at her new family.

"This is so... I can't believe... This is... Thank you so much." tears began to form in her eyes and Shepard knelt beside her, holding her hand gently. "This is what family is for Sheela. I just wanted you to feel as welcome as possible. I wanted to see you smile."

Sheela was beaming at him, completely overjoyed in the moment. She felt truly at home and truly loved in this moment. And she was glad.

* * *

Later that evening Shepard and Tali were sitting on the back patio looking up at the stars. Shepard laying in a lounge chair and Tali in a similar chair next to him. Tali looked over at Shepard and sighed with a thin smile.

Shepard looked back at her with an inquisitive look and patted her hand. "Something troubling you love?" he asked as he began rubbing the back of her hand.

"No, just content. John, we have a daughter." Tali replied in semi-disbelief. Shepard lifted his wife's hand to his lips and kissed it briefly. "Excited Tali?" Tali chuckled and leaned over, planting a tender kiss on his cheek. "Maybe a little."

* * *

Sheela had spent most of the day exploring what she could of the house. She was just finishing putting on her new dim orange nightgown when she heard Shepard and Tali talking outside on the patio. She couldn't help but smile.

When her parents had died she thought she would be alone. Not just for awhile but forever. She had always been terrified of death and being alone. She almost couldn't believe that she would be safe and loved again.

Sheela slid back into her wheelchair and rolled out to the back glass doors and just sat listening to her new parents talk. when they had finished she slid the door open and rolled out next to Shepard and he smiled at her.

"Hey Sheela, you know you could have asked us to help you with the nightgown. It couldn't have been easy to put on by yourself with that." Shepard said, tapping her cast lightly.

Sheela shrugged and smiled sweetly, "I guess I just didn't think about it." Sheela said in an almost nonexistent voice. Shepard smiled at her and patted his lap. "Why don't you honor us with your presence?" he said with a slight chuckle.

Sheela giggled and shifted from her chair into his lap, once she was situated she leaned back until the back of her head rested on his chest. The three remained outside until Shepard heard a faint snoring from Sheela and decided they had best follow her example. He gently lifted her up as he sat up and then carried her to her bed. After tucking her in he lightly kissed her forehead and tip-toed out of the room.

* * *

The next morning Shepard woke to the smell of meat cooking. Opening his eyes he was surprised to see Tali still curled up asleep next to him. Shepard got out of bed groggily and put on his robe. As he approached the kitchen he was able to hear the sizzling of bacon in a pan. When he turned the corner he found Sheela sitting on one of the high kitchen chairs, flipping the bacon.

As Shepard stepped closer Sheela reached a bit too far and lost her balance and began to fall. Shepard caught her and smiled down at her. "What are you doing Sheela?"

The girl giggled and smiled back "Well I looked up how to make this uh... Bacon? Stuff on the extranet, and I wanted to surprise you." Tali walked into the room with a yawn and smiled when she saw the pair charting. "Good morning you two."

The two looked at her and replied "good morning" in near unison, which only increased their chuckling. Shepard set Sheela down in her wheelchair near the tall chair she had fallen from. "Thank you for the breakfast Sheela. It was very kind of you." Shepard kissed the top of his daughter's head and she smiled at him gleefully.

* * *

After breakfast Tali went into the city to meet with the admirals and Shepard decided he would spend the day doing whatever his daughter wanted. To his surprise, she just wanted to read some of his old earth novels. She took a particular interest in the book Moby Dick.

Within three hours Sheela had finished Moby Dick and the Grapes of Wrath. After Sheela finished the grapes of wrath Shepard had cut her off and decided to take her outside. "I can't believe how fast you read. I mean... Wow." Shepard said astonished as he sat next to his daughter.

Sheela giggled and slid her hand into his. "I live to impress. Hey uh... Dad. Can you teach me to swim when I get my cast off." Shepard just froze for a moment. Sheela looked up at him expectantly and noticed the shock on his face. "Did I say something wrong?"

Shepard snapped out of his semi-trance and looked down at her with kind affection. "No.. I... I'm just surprised that you called me dad." Shepard wrapped his arms around his daughter and sighed "Of course I'll teach you to swim Sheela."

Sheela just held her new father tightly and shut her eyes. She was happy. She was safe. She was home.

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**Please remember to review, I know it was kinda short but I hope you appreciate the sweetness factor. If not... Then I must say I pity you... **


	16. Comrades, Friends, Family

**Greetings once again my friends. ****I want to take this opportunity to say just how much all of your support has meant to me. I never believed my writing was good enough to carry this story as far as it has already come. Thank you all for your support and comments. They truly have kept me going and kept me inspired. I'm sorry, you don't want to hear me being sentimental so here, please enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

Things were finally starting to settle down just over a month since the Batarian terrorist attacks. Sheela was out of her wheelchair and Shepard had began giving her swimming lessons. Sheela was trying but she just wasn't as natural in the water as Tali, it would appear.

Tali was standing in the kitchen making lunch, listening to Shepard trying to teach Sheela to swim outside. Shepard was turning out to be a wonderful dad. He certainly beats my father in the "best dad competition."

Tali jumped slightly when the comm panel on the wall beeped. She quickly regained her composure and walked over to answer it. She was happy to see Liara smiling at her. "Hello Liara, what can I do for you?"

"Well I have just been thinking about having a kind of reunion. Everybody from the original team, all together again. What do you think?" Liara said excitedly. Before Tali could reply, however, there was the sound of someone humming in the background of Liara's link. Looking past her Tali saw Solana step through a doorway with a towel wrapped around her torso. She evidentially had no clue Liara was using the comm link.

"Hey there my sweet broker. What are you..." Solana began but quickly trailed off when she saw Tali on the screen. "Oh, hello Tali... Heh... Didn't see you there... Um I need to go and uh..." Solana was gone before finishing her sentence.

Tali couldn't suppress a giggle at the couple. Liara, whose cheeks were darkening from embarrassment, sighed. Tali focused back to her again "I think that would be a wonderful idea. Where should we have it?"

"Well from what I understand you have a daughter now. Perhaps somewhere on Rannoch? That way you and her wouldn't need suits." Liara replied with a small grin.

"Great idea. We could have it here, there's plenty of room and I know Shepard will love the idea. Call me again when you iron out the details. Any day will be fine for us." Tali said with a smile. She then saw a towel land on Liara's head and the Asari cut the link immediately.

* * *

Sheela felt cold and frustrated. She simply couldn't get a handle on swimming. No matter what type of stroke she never moved much, at least she could understand treading water, staying in one place wasn't exactly difficult for her.

Shepard wrapped a towel around his daughter as she clambered out of the pool. "You're getting better honey, you'll get the hang of it one of these days." Sheela looked up at him with a weak smile. "You really think so? Maybe I'm just not meant for water..."

Shepard lifted Sheela up and slung her ver his shoulder. "Ha, dad put me down!" she said, laughing. Shepard walked inside just as Tali was setting lunch on the table. "Tali look what I found in the pool. Can we keep it?"

Tali chuckled and put her hand to her chin in mock thought. "Well I don't know, it's a big responsibility..." Tali was interrupted by Sheela "Mom, make dad put me down already!"

"John maybe you should just throw her back in. See if you can find a nice Varren to keep." Tali said with as serious a tone as she could manage without cracking up.

"MOM!" Sheela exclaimed in protest as Shepard carried her back outside. Shepard stopped at the edge of the pool and swung her out over the water. "Dad, knock it off." Sheela said, now hysterical. Shepard put his daughter down and kissed the top of her head. "Come on let's go eat Shelly."

"Shelly? Why did you call me Shelly?" Sheela asked, confused. "Well it seems like a good nickname for you. It'll be our special thing ok?" Shepard replied. Sheela smiled brightly at him. "Alright dad, can we eat now?" Shepard replied with a chuckle "sure sweetheart."

* * *

After lunch the family was sitting outside and Tali turned to Shepard. "John, Liara called earlier. She is setting up a reunion of the original team. Just to catch up I guess. I told we would host it. I hope you don't mind."

"I think it's a wonderful idea. Any idea when?" Tali started to speak but her attention shifted when the comm panel inside beeped. "I'll get it John."

Tali walked over and answered the comm and was once again greeted by Liara, except this time she was accompanied by, a much more clothed, Solana. "Hello Liara, Solana."

"Hello Tali. We managed to get everyone on board except for Ashley. She seems to be trying to drop off the grid. I had trouble just tracking her down." Liara said whilst typing on a data pad that had previously been off screen. "That's great. When do you want to do it?" Tali replied expectantly. "We were thinking this Saturday." Solana replied "Is that alright with you and Shepard?"

Tali nodded and smiled. "I'm looking forward to seeing you all again. It'll give you a chance to meet our daughter." Tali's focus shifted over to her husband and daughter momentarily before shifting back to the couple before her.

"We are looking forward to it too. Oh and Tali" Solana said "Wrex is bringing the family so be ready to feed a couple of hungry Krogans." At that Solana cut the link with a smile on her face.

* * *

The first of the guests began to arrive at around noon on Saturday. Tali had put on a bright yellow sundress and Sheela a green dress of a similar style, Shepard a simple T-shirt and shorts.

When the doorbell rang Tali quickly opened the door to find Garrus standing outside, with a Drell woman on his arm. "Hello Tali. This is Klymeet." Garrus greeted, indicating the Drell with a slight gesture. "Well it is nice to meet you Klymeet. Please come in. John and our daughter Sheela are out back." Tali replied gleefully.

Garrus and Klymeet moved past Tali and through the house to the rear patio. Shepard was sitting at a glass topped table with Sheela and stood when Garrus walked through the door onto the patio. "Well if it isn't the king of the bottle shooters." he greeted.

Garrus let out a chuckle and Klymeet looked over at him inquisitively. "King of the bottle shooters?" she repeated in a soft tone. Garrus shook his head slightly "I'll tell you about it later. I'll get you a drink."

Shepard and Garrus moved over to the tables, which were labeled separately by amino acids. "So who's she?" Shepard asked as he poured himself a glass of water. Garrus was pouring a glass of Turian brandy and paused momentarily. "Her name is Klymeet, I met her a few weeks ago on Illium." Garrus turned around and looked over at her. "Isn't she beautiful Shepard?" Shepard glanced over to her then back to his friend. "She must be into facial scars then?" Shepard joked eliciting a chuckle from Garrus.

Garrus poured the rest of his glass and then poured a glass of water for Klymeet, who was looking almost longingly at the shimmering surface of the pool. Shepard followed Garrus back to the table and introduced him and Klymeet to Sheela who had been sitting so quietly that she almost seemed to be a statue.

* * *

Solana and Liara arrived next, quickly followed by Wrex and Bakara. The group was sitting outside when they heard an all too familiar sound as the Normandy descended nearby. Shepard went around to greet Joker and EDI and was surprised to. Find a very significant change to the Normandy's hull. The lack of the Alliance seal on the side. When the couple descended the ramp Shepard greeted them with an inquisitive look.

"Joker, what did you do? Tell me she didn't convince you to steal the Normandy." he said jokingly and the pilot chuckled and EDI took his Que. and joined in. Shepard was about to turn back toward the house when he heard a voice he recognized very fondly. "Now Shepard, did you really think that he could have done that without help?"

Doctor Karin Chakwas walked into view with a bright grin on her face. "No Shepard, we didn't steal the Normandy. Admiral Hackett gave it to us. Well minus most of the advanced weaponry. I'm actually still pissed about that. Hell we bought all that stuff." Joker commented with an unhappy smirk.

The group moved back to join the others and introductions and greetings were made. Joker and EDI had apparently started using the Normandy for freight purposes and doctor Chakwas had stayed on to help Joker with his condition.

The group continued chatting on into the evening and just after nine Shepard stood up and faced the group. "I remember when this all started. We all came together because we all had a common goal. Defeating Saren. Then we were just working together. All fighting side by side for a chance at walking away alive. But we became more than that through the journey. We became comrades. We became friends. Even after we defeated him we stuck together, when I needed you, you helped me to defeat the Collectors. We all fought the Reapers. We became more than just soldiers with a common cause. We became more than comrades, more than friends. Through all we have accomplished, through all we suffered, we have become a family."

Shepard raised his glass "Here's to family. May we remember what we have been through until the end of the age."

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**I hope you all liked it. Please remember to leave a review. :)**


	17. Not the best of days

**Hello again my beloved readers. I know it's been awhile but I have returned and I bring forth the plague of a new chapter... Ok not really a plague but that makes it sound more exciting doesn't it?... Fine then! Don't agree with me... Sorry here have a nice chapter and some cookies. I'll ship the cookies out to every home in the world in the year 2087, so keep a glass of milk ready!**

* * *

Tali was sitting in the meeting room of the capital building nearly bored to tears. She had heard arguments between her fellow admirals over just about all possible topics. That had argued over what crops to plant, where to put certain buildings, when to meet, and even what to call the capital city. But they had never argued over something so trivial before.

"The road should be called Rannoch lane!" Gerrel shouted "No it ought to be called Rannoch place!" Korris retorted.

_I can't believe these two idiots are seriously arguing over the name of a street._ The two admirals had agreed on the name Rannoch for the street upon which the capital building resided, but they had been arguing between lane and place for the last two hours.

Tali was about to just sick Chiktikka on them to get them to shut up but she paused when her omnitool bleeped indicating an incoming call. She raisetTali finger to her ear and, in as calm a tone as she could manage, answered it. "Admiral Zorah."

The voice on the other end sounded feminine and just a little too perky for Tali's liking. "Admiral Zorah, this is Kilah'Vern vas Rannoch, secretary for dean Terrep at your daughter's school. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to please come pick her up, she has been placed on temporary suspension."

Talli sat up and her eyes widened drastically. "Suspended for what?!" she shot back. The secretary replied in a slightly timid voice "All I know is the dean wishes for you to come and pick her up. If you want more information then I suggest you talk to him."

Tali sighed and rubbed her temples with her free hand. "I'll be there in a few minutes." she said just before hanging up. "I have some family matters to attend to. I will see you all at the next meeting." she said as she quickly stood and hurried out of the room. The other admirals didn't seem to take any notice.

* * *

Tali was driving toward the school trying to call Shepard. She had already tried three times already and she was beginning to get agitated. When the fourth call didn't go through she smacked the dashboard in frustration. _Dammit. Fine I'll just tell him later._

When Tali reached the school she sat in her skycar for a minute, giving herself the chance to cool down a bit. When Tali exited her car she did her best to remain calm. She walked into the administration lobby just inside the doors and approached the receptionist's desk with a forced smile. "Hello I'm here to see dean Terrep about my daughter Sheela."

The receptionist looked up at her with an almost pitiful look. "The dean's office is the last door on the left in the hall behind me. Tali nodded and quickly maneuvered past the desk and down to the end of the hall. She opened the door and was greeted by the smiling face of the dean's secretary. "Hello, what can I do for you?" she asked in her irritatingly perky voice. Tali reinforced her faked smile "I am here about my daughter Sheela."

The secretary's expression quickly changed and she shrank back slightly in her chair. "Please go on in. Your daughter is in there waiting for you." she said timidly with a nervous gesture toward a door just past her own desk. Tali didn't say a word as she walked past the secretary and opened the door.

It was a small room, the desk took up a majority of the available space. A bookshelf was set in the wall behind the desk and there were two chairs before the desk. Tali was impressed with the taste of the dean's decorator. The chairs were dark green and leathery looking, perfectly accenting the wooden desk and the larger chair of a similar color behind the desk.

Sitting in the chair on he left, her head hanging low, was Sheela. Dean Terrep was shuffling some papers at his desk. He motioned toward the vacant chair with a flick of his wrist. Tali sat down and Sheela glanced over at her with a shamed look and quickly looked away. Dean Terrep looked up and slid his papers aside. He then cleared his throat and began.

* * *

Shepard had gone for a jog down to the beach below the cliff upon which his house sat. He had taken to jogging a lot lately and had noticed a cave on his last jog. This time he had decided to explore the cave a while. Finding nothing of interest after about half an hour of exploration he decided to head back home and get some rest.

As Shepard approached the house he was confused to see the car sitting out front. When he got to the porch he could see Tali sitting on the couch rubbing her temples with a frustrated expression on her face. Shepard stepped inside and smiled at her cautiously.

"Hey Tali, when did you-" he began. Tali cut him off with a furious tone he rarely ever heard from his normally sweet wife. "Where the hell have you been!? I tried to call you repeatedly! I tried the house! I tried your personal number! Why didn't you answer me!?"

Shepard was taken aback by the sharpness of her tone. _I must have been in the cave when she called me..._ "Tali" Shepard began as he sat next to her and place a hand lightly on her shoulder "Honey I'm sorry I didn't even know you called. What happened Tali?"

Tali hadn't meant to be so rude to him she was just so frustrated with her day. She looked up at him and wanted to apologies but just couldn't form any words. She opened her mouth to speak but just closed it again and hugged him shakily. "I... I'm sorry I yelled Shepard. I have just had a really bad day. Gerrel and Korris were going on and on arguing over the name of a street, I couldn't get ahold of you when I needed you, and Sheela was suspended from school today."

Shepard had been rubbing Tali's back comfortingly until she said Sheela was suspended. At the sound of that he froze. "She what?" Tali lifted her face off of his shoulder and frowned. "Why was she suspended?" Shepard asked confused.

"She snuck out of class and disassembled fifteen of the computers in one of the labs." Tali replied hesitantly.

Shepard stood up and glared toward Sheela's door. "She in her room?" he asked without looking away from his daughter's door. Tali stood and touched his shoulder lightly

"Shepard please don't do anything you will regret. I practically screamed my head off at her when we got home." Shepard turned his head to look at her

"Tali don't worry, I'm just going to talk to her." Shepard lifted Tali's hand from his shoulder and kissed one of her long fingers.

* * *

Sheela was laying on her bed with her head buried under her pillow when Shepard entered and sat at the foot of her bed. "Sheela, we need to talk." Sheela poked her head out from under her pillow and Shepard could see tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry daddy" she said in a weak tone. Shepard patted the spot next to him and she scooted to his side. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"Sheela it's ok I just want to tell you your mother is sorry she yelled at you so much. We will always love you Sheela. Don't forget that." Shepard kissed the top of his daughter's head and rubbed her back.

Sheela looked up into her father's eyes and sighed. Shepard brushed the tears from her eyes and chuckled quietly. "Of all the things to get suspended for you choose disassembling computers?" he asked jokingly. She giggled and lowered her gaze for a moment trying to stop herself from laughing outright.

"Well I just wanted to see how they worked. I got it just about figured out after the twelfth computer but I wanted to make sure I understood completely..." Shepard looked at her skeptically

"I think you mean you were having too much fun to stop." he replied with a sigh. "Honey I need you to use a bit more forethought in the future. You could have been expelled for this." Shepard leaned in close and whispered

"I am impressed that you were able to do this but don't don't again. And don't tell your mother but I found a secret place to show you later. It'll be our secret for awhile ok?"

Sheela nodded and Shepard stood and held out his hand. "Let's go out and be with mom alright?" Sheela took her father's hand and they left the room together.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And for those of you who are wondering, yes the cave will be important in a future chapter. I am curious to see what you all think about it. Please remember to leave a review. Those reviews keep me going and I love to get any feedback whatsoever.**

**Ammendment: I apologise for the previous state of this chapter. I usually do more editing after getting it onto the site but it completely slipped my mind this time. I amsorry for the seperation issues and the thought patters. I hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive me.**


	18. The Year After

**Hello again my precious readers. Here I have a nice little**** chapter for you fresh out of the oven. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Around three months after the suspension incident Sheela was having the time of her life. Shepard had never told Tali about the cave on the beach and now Sheela understood why.

She and her dad had spent the whole day decorating the cave. Draping purple veils across the stalagmites and setting up a small table and two chairs in the center of the cave entrance. The table was adorned with a violet tablecloth and at it's center rested a small vase with three flowers who's bioluminescent, pale-violet glow lit the table with a shimmering, dim light.

Shepard had gone up to the house to finish cooking the dinner he had prepared for Tali. The former commander was just exiting the back door to head down to the cave with the dinner when he heard Tali's car out front. Shepard quickly made his way down and set the table.

"Hey Shelly. Your mother just got home please go keep her busy while I finish things up down here." he said as he hurried to place the covered food trays on a natural shelf in the cave wall. Sheela nodded and hurried back up to the house.

* * *

Tali was setting a few files down on the kitchen table when Sheela came in the back door. "Ah Sheela have you seen your father?" Sheela's eyes darted around the room for a brief moment as she tried to come up with an excuse.

"uh... I think he went on a jog..." she replied.

Tali tensed a bit. _A jog? A jog!? Does he not remember what today is?_

Tali had woken up that morning and found Shepard sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and checking the weather. When she had tried to get him to reveal his plans for today he had seemed ignorant as to the importance of the day. At the time she thought he was teasing her but now she was more than the slightest bit angry.

Sheela noticed her mother tense up a bit and was glad when she didn't seem to notice Sheela's omnitool beep. Checking it she smiled to herself and sighed. "Hey mom. I found something down by the beach you'll really like."

Tali turned to her daughter and sighed. "Alright Sheela... Lead the way." _At least my daughter seems to care about today._ Tali followed her daughter down to the beach attempting to cap her growing agitation with her husband.

_How could he forget today? How could he forget what this day means? I can't believe he would just ignore what we did-_ Tali's Thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Shepard sitting on a rock a little further along the beach.

Shepard looked over at his approaching family and hopped off the rock. Striding toward them he smiled and noticed that Tali seemed aggregated. He was about to ask what was wrong when Tali suddenly sped up and stopped right in front of him. Her eyes conveying a mixed hurt and angry message.

"I can't believe you forgot what today is you bosh'tet!" she blurted in a mournful tone that nearly broke Shepard's heart.

"Tali I could never forget what today is. I could never forget what we did a year ago today." Shepard steered Tali around so she could see the small cave and the decorations just within its gaping maw. Shepard looked down catching Tali's gaze once more "I love you too much to forget. Happy anniversary Tali."

Tears gathered in Tali's eyes and she embraced her husband. I can't believe I just said those things. Of course he would remember. I can't believe I would doubt John. "Oh John... I'm sorry. It's just that when you didn't say anything this morning and then Sheela said you went on one of your jogs and I... I'm sorry..."

Shepard kissed the top of Tali's head and rubbed her back soothingly. "Tali it's alright. I forgive you. Let's go and have some dinner and enjoy our anniversary. Ok sweetheart?"

Tali nodded and the couple moved into the cave to enjoy their time together. Sheela returned up to the house and the pair was left alone.

* * *

Several hours had passed and the couple remained sitting at the table watching the sunset on the oceanic horizon. Tali had shifted from her seat into Shepard's lap. The ex commander was running his fingers through his wife's hair while she rested the side of her head on his shoulder.

Tali turned her gaze from the horizon up to her husband. Catching his gaze she moved her lips up to meet his in a deep, meaningful kiss. "I love you John." she said after they had parted.

"I love you too Tali." Shepard replied lovingly. "Let's go back up to the house and get in bed."

"I am not tired yet John." Tali replied trying to keep the beautiful night from ending.

"Neither am I Tali." Shepard replied with a sly smile.

"John... Good idea." Tali said as she practically rocketed out of Shepard's lap and nearly pulled his arm out of the socket. "Come on let's go."

* * *

Tali and Shepard woke the next morning still holding each other under the covers. When Tali's eyes fluttered open she was looking directly into Shepard's eyes and he smiled. "Good morning Misses Shepard." he whispered.

Taliare turned his smile and gave him a quick kiss. "I could get used to that." she mused.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it was pretty short but I hope that I made up for it with "aaaaw... How sweet..." value. Please please please review. I love getting reviews and I read every one. Those reviews are what keep me writing. I have said before that this story has gone beyond what I thought it would. Honestly I didn't think people would stay with me past four chapters. Thank you all for your support. Keelah se'lei**


	19. Vacation

**Hello everyone. I know it's been quite a while since I uploaded a new chapter. I have been very busy recently. I just started going to physical therapy for my back and I kept getting writer's block. Anyway that's enough about my problems. Here is the new chapter you have all been waiting for.**

* * *

Three uneventful years had passed. The Quarian government was finally reestablished and Tali was able to take some time off from her busy life.

Tali was enjoying a peaceful afternoon lying on her back on the beach below the house. The wind provided a ice cool breeze which wafted the scent of the ocean up to her nostrils. She closed her eyes and sighed. _Ah this... Is the life..._

Tali was so relaxed she didn't hear the approaching footsteps of her husband. Shepard, noticing her distracted state, snuck up to her and lightly ran his finger across her stomach from her belly up across the center of her chest, up her neck, and to her lips. Tali's eyes shot open but she immediately calmed when she saw her husband standing over her.

Shepard leaned down and planted a kiss on his wife's lips. Once the two had parted Tali smiled and with one swift motion knocked Shepard sideways onto his back and rolled on top of him. Tali giggled at the stunned expression that graced her husband's face. "What's the matter dog got your tongue?" she said smiling widely.

Shepard tried to stop himself but he just couldn't. He started laughing and kissed his wife on the cheek. Tali looked down at him confused. "What's so funny?"

Shepard managed to calm down a bit. "Tali the saying is 'cat got your tongue' not 'dog got your tongue." Shepard smiled and kissed his wife again.

"Oh right." Tali giggled and leaned her forehead against Shepard's. "I love you John."

"I love you too Tali. I have a surprise for you sweetheart." Shepard smiled at the gleeful look that came over his wife's face. "Well Garrus called me a few minutes ago and invited us all to come stay with him on Palaven. We are going on vacation sweetheart."

Tali smiled widely and kissed Shepard. "Really? A vacation? That's wonderful John. When are we leaving? What should we bring? Does Sheela kno-" Shepard cut his wife off with a deep, passionate kiss.

"Tali calm down. I am going to do most of the work. All you need to do is pack your bag. Sheela is packing hers right now. We will be staying on palaven for a week and then you and I are going to be doing something special, just the two of us." Shepard smiled and Tali kissed him again.

"Alright John. Well if you expect me to pack maybe we should go back up to the house..." Shepard wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her into another passionate kiss. When the pair parted Tali sighed happily "well I guess we could stay here a little longer."

* * *

With only two hours until their scheduled transport left for palaven Shepard and Sheela were both standing near the front door with bags packed and books picked.

Sheela was dressed in a dark black environmental suit with a red sash matching the color of her hair running from her shoulder down to the opposite hip and then around her waist. The faceplate was a tinted red and her eyes pierced the haze of the faceplate like a gentle, light giving flame in the darkness.

Tali, on the other hand, was still in the master bedroom packing. "Come on mom, we're going to miss the transport!" Sheela yelled to her mother. When no reply came Shepard set his bag down with a sigh and went to join Tali.

Tali was standing in front of the closet wearing her suit and holding the faceplate with two fingers as though it were a soiled garment. Shepard only took a moment to figure out what was taking his wife so long. "Tali" the machinist jumped slightly at the sound of her name and turned to see Shepard standing in the doorway. "Sweetheart are you alright?"

Tali sighed and Shepard moved closer and embraced his wife. "John I... You know how much I hate going back into that suit. When I'm in there I can't feel you, smell you, kiss you. It's so frustrating." Shepard rubbed his wife's back and then leaned away so he could look into her eyes.

"Tali we won't be separated the entire time. Garrus is having his guest house air scrubbed. We can be together then and besides" Shepard kissed Tali lightly on her nose "You make this suit look good." Shepard ran his hands down Tali's sides and around to rest on her hips.

"Charmer. Alright you win." Tali stole another brief kiss from her beloved husband and then attached the faceplate on her suit. "Let's go. I'll bet Sheela is probably at the spaceport by now."

* * *

Garrus was sitting in a large leather chair with a glass of Turian brandy in his hand. Garrus had managed to do pretty well for himself. After all things were settled with rebuilding and aid efforts he had received a more than generous check from the Turian high command.

_Well I certainly hope that they enjoy their stay. I know Tali will like the indoor garden in the guest house and I'll bet Shepard will really appreciate the-_ "mmmm" Garrus was drawn from his thoughts by the trilling sound of Klymeet as she emerged from the restroom wearing only a towel. The Drell walked toward him swinging her hips and smiling seductively at him. Garrus patted his lap and she sat down and put an arm around his neck.

"Looking forward to having our guests over?" Klymeet ran her fingers over her Turian lover's fringe eliciting a happy groan. Garrus set his brandy down and then ran his hand up her leg under her towel. "Or perhaps you just want to enjoy a little more alone time?" Klymeet leaned in and nuzzled his neck. Much to the grief of the couple they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Klymeet sighed and got up. "I better go get dressed."

* * *

Shepard, Tali, and Sheela stood on the doorstep of one of the most impressive houses Shepard had ever seen. The house clearly had two floors and seemed to be of an oriental inspiration. The door opened and Garrus smiled at his friends. "I was about to give you a call. Hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the place." Garrus motioned them inside and then led them into a den with two large leather sofas and two matching armchairs.

Tali and Sheela sat on one of the sofas while Garrus and Shepard took the armchairs. Tali was actually glad to have her expression hidden. Her mouth, she realized, had been hanging slightly open since they had arrived at the house._ I was expecting something large but this is just... Wow. I didn't think Garrus would be into this style of architecture..._

Tali had become immersed in thought and almost jumped off the sofa when Shepard said her name. "Hmm yes?" Shepard chuckled and stood up.

"Come on let's go see this guest house." Tali and Sheela stood and followed Shepard and Garrus out the front door and around the large house. The guest house came in to view after a moment and Tali was, once again, impressed.

The style of the guest house was in stark contrast to the main building. The guest house reminded Shepard of an old American townhouse that had been laid on it's side and then fixed with a large bubbled roof on top. Garrus opened the outer door for them "I'm going to go back to the house and uh.. Check on something. I'll let you get settled in."

The trio entered the airlock style entryway and activated the decontamination sequence. When the inner door opened Shepard found himself in awe. The interior was extremely luxurious with a aquatic blue shade to the walls and matching leather furniture. The kitchen included a small bar and there was a balcony on the second floor looking over the lower floor with a sweeping staircase that wrapped around the wall dividing the lower bedroom from the rest of the bottom floor.

Upstairs there was a small library near the top of the stairs and a large fish tank set into the wall. At the end of the fish tank was a door leading to the upstairs bedroom.

"Daddy!" Shepard jumped when Sheela disrupted his thoughts and he spun to look at her.

"You don't need to yell Shelly. Now what is-" Shepard was cut off by the outburst of giggling from both his wife and daughter. "What?"

"Daddy, I tried to get your attention five times." Sheela said as she tried to regain her composure.

"You 'spaced out' for a second there." Tali said as she took off her faceplate. She then smiled up at her husband and gave him a sly wink. "I'm going to go get this suit off." Shepard knew that tone. That was her 'come and get it' tone.

"Shelly why don't you go check out your room? Your mom and I are going to go unpack." Shepard said as he quickly picked up his and Tali's bags and started toward the lower bedroom. Practically skipping.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have already begun works chapter 20 and this time I will try and get done sooner I promise. As always please leave a review. I really do appreciate the feedback.**


	20. Announcement

**Hey everyone! I know it's been awhile but I am glad to see so many reviews. It has been kinda hecktic lately. I actually had this chapter done about four days ago but my computer crashed and I lost alot of data including all my files from this story so I had to start from scratch on chapter 20. anyway you dont want to hear about my problems. Here is the new chapter. Enjoy :)**

* * *

A buzz from the door woke Shepard. He glanced over at the clock. It had been an hour since he and Tali had "unpacked" and the two of them were still lying in bed. Shepard was on his side and Tali was pressed up against his back. Reluctantly he slid out of bed and dug his robe out of his bag. After putting it on he opened the door.

Sheela stood just outside the door smiling up at her dad. "Dad, Garrus called and asked me to get you. He said he had a surprise for..." Sheela trailed off when she looked past Shepard and saw Tali sit up in bed, still nude.

Shepard followed Sheela's gaze and quickly spun his daughter around. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Why don't you go uh... feed the fish." he said hurriedly as he shut the door. Shepard turned with a sigh and smiled at his wife. "Honey please cover up. If you don't I'm not going to be able to go see what Garrus needs." Tali giggled and slipped off of the bed and onto her knees next to her bag. Shepard gave her a light smack on the behind as he passed her on his way to the shower.

* * *

Shepard walked through the front door of the main house and Garrus was there, holding a glass of Turian brandy in one hand and a broadsword in the other. Shepard gave him a smirk and raised an eyebrow. "Never figured I'd see you with any weapon but that old Mantis of yours."

"Well things are bound to change every once in a while you know? Follow me Shepard I have something I think you'll want to see." Garrus turned and lead Shepard down a long hallway to a large archway. As they stepped inside Shepard was quickly impressed.

The large room had a very high ceiling and on the walls hung various weapons from various time periods and races. Ranging from antique Earth swords and old Turian ceremonial blades to phantom swords and shock gauntlets.

The center of the room was set up like an arena, with a large open circle. At the center of the arena stood Klymeet clad in, quite revealing, jet black armor with one hand on her hip and the other hand gripping the hilt of a replica katana.

Klymeet grinned at them as they entered and lunged forward at Garrus. Their swords met, crossing and framing each of their faces for the other to see. Garrus chuckled and the pair separated, spinning their blades and planting them into the floor, which Shepard realized must have been made of cork.

Klymeet ran her fingers along Garrus's fringe and smiled at him cheekily. "I'll let you boys play. I'm going to go finish up dinner and deliver it for our guests." Klymeet grinned at Shepard and lightly ran a finger along the edge of his jaw as she passed, swinging her hips as she walked out of the room.

_Well... That was different..._ Shepard looked back at Garrus, who was still watching Klymeet's retreating form, and cleared his throat. "This is pretty impressive Garrus, how did you get all this stuff?"

The Turian chuckled and pulled the two swords out of the floor. "Well" he began as he walked over to the wall and placed the swords into empty spots on a wall-mounted rack "The Turian weapons were easy to get here on Palaven, the Krogan knives on the wall over there were a gift from Bukhara and Wrex, and the rest was acquired through a certain young thief."

Garrus then grabbed the two phantom swords off the wall and tossed one to Shepard. "These I got from the Citadel during the Cerberus attack." Garrus twirled his sword, getting aquatinted with the feel of the blade. Shepard imitated the action with a spark of anticipation. Garrus lunged forward and their swords met.

_Here we go..._

* * *

Tali was getting dressed when there was a buzz from the bedroom door. She quickly finished buttoning her sundress and ran a hand through her hair. She opened the door expecting to see her daughter but was surprised to find Klymeet standing there in an incredibly risqué dress, leaving little to the imagination.

"Oh hello Klymeet. It's been a long time. How are you?" Tali smiled and Klymeet returned the gesture.

"I'm doing fairly well. I brought dinner for all of us. Shepard and Garrus are sparring but I imagine they will be along shortly." Klymeet turned and walked toward the dining room, closely followed by Tali.

Sheela was already sitting at the large table and she looked like she was about to dive into the large assortment of food in front of her. There was a great amount of dextro vegetables and meats accompanied by a large amount of Earth vegetables and steak that Tali had seen Shepard eat before.

Tali and Klymeet were just sitting down on either side of Sheela when the inner airlock door cycled open and Shepard stepped through shortly followed by Garrus. Shepard got one look at the food and seemed to teleport from just inside the door to sitting next to Tali at the table.

Tali greeted him with a kiss on the cheek "Hungry John?" she asked with a somewhat teasing tone. Shepard leaned over

"For you or the food?" he whispered into her ear as he sneakily ran a hand up her outer thigh. Tali giggled and lightly slapped his hand, giving him a mock upset look.

Garrus sat down next to Klymeet and rested a taloned hand upon her thigh. "The food looks great." Garrus leaned closer to her "But not even close to how you look." Klymeet put on a sly smile and stretched her arms above her head, thrusting her chest forward in an obvious attempt to show off.

Tali watched the odd couple with slight frustration.

_I'm glad Sheela is so busy with her food. I don't want her seeing such a... Slutty display. I mean really... At least Shepard and I are trying for some discretion. She's just putting it out there for the galaxy to-_

Tali noticed that Shepard seemed distracted and traced his gaze. _What is he... He's staring at... Her! Oh that does it!_ Tali kicked Shepard in the shin as hard asshe could manage at her angle and a look of pain shot across his face. He turned to her and she could tell by the look in his eyes he knew why she kicked him..._ Oh Shepard you are in for it later..._

Shepard, in an effort to redeem himself, cleared his throat loudly, causing the other couple to cease their activity. "Garrus, Klymeet thanks for inviting us out here. I can't tell you how much we needed a vacation."

Garrus shrugged and Klymet smiled pleasantly at him. "Well" she said "I'm afraid we didnt just invite you out here for kindness sake. We have an announcement." Klymeet looked lovingly at Garus and the Turian cleared his throat.

"Klymeet and I are going to be lifebonded."

* * *

**And there is your daily dose of cliff hanger. As always please review. I am cooking up something special for the next few chapters.**


	21. Crimson Omen

**Greetings readers. I know it's been awhile but I thank you for bearing with me. I have found a lot of my free time consumed by this new game that came out and I managed to make my back issue even worse by falling off my roof. So yeah not as much writing time as I would have liked. Anyway here is a new chapter for you. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Dinner was finished and Shepard had retreated to the bedroom after saying good it to his friends and daughter. He was sitting on the edge of the bed checking for any tourist attractions in the area with his omnitool when Tali entered. Shepard looked up and greeted his wife with a smile, which quickly deteriorated to a frown at the hostility carried by the glare she was giving him. "Tali? Something wrong?"

The Quarian gave a huff as she quickly walked over and flicked him in the ear. "You know very well there is something wrong." she said "You were ogling that Drell woman during dinner."

_Well John? What now? Got your back to a corner and this time the king of the bottle shooters isn't here to give covering fire. Yep you are a dead as a Pyjak in a Varren pit. Deader than a- Brain, Shut up!_

"Tali, honey. I'm sorry I didn't... I wasn't trying to... I..." Shepard stammered as he desperately tried to come up with an excuse. Tali had to bite her tongue to keep from chuckling.

"I don't want to hear it Shepard. I'm getting a shower." Tali walked into the private restroom and locked the door behind her. A devious grin on her face.

_Oh John, I have you now. I'm not really angry. I mean really, how could you not look at the show she was putting on? I just want to see what I can get out of this..._

Tali removed her clothing and stepped into the shower. She purred lightly as the hot water streamed over her body. _Maybe I am being too hard on him... Well he isn't getting off without me getting something in restitution... Hmm..._ Tali smiled to herself as she thought of just how to get restitution and let her husband off easy.

* * *

Shepard was still sitting in that same spot half an hour later when Tali stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and a seductive look in her eyes.

"Well John, if you are so interested in looking at sexy women" Tali began as she slowly slid the towel off of her body "Then why didn't you just say so?" Tali smiled and tossed the towel at her husband, giggling at the mixed relief and nervousness in his expression.

Shepard needed no second invitation. In a flash he was up and kissing his wife. Shepard put an arm around Tali's back and slowly lowered her onto the bed. When the couple came apart for air Shepard shifted his focus lower, kissing and nuzzling Tali's neck eliciting a loving moan from her.

Tali brought one hand up and lifted Shepard's chin so he would look her directly in the eye. "I love you John. And you have already made up for dinner." Shepard chuckled and kissed his wife's ear.

"I love you too Tali." Shepard whispered "And you are the only woman I will ever love."

"Then" Tali began before abruptly rolling and catching her husband off gaurd "prove it." she finished while looking down at him from her new perch atop his abdomen.

_No problem..._

* * *

Tali woke the next morning and silently slid out of bed. _Well he definitely proved it... I'm sore in all the right places to testify to that..._ She thought as she admired her lover's sleeping form. Tali put on her robe and walked out to the kitchen. There was a note pinned to the refridgerator.

"Gone with Garrus and Klymeet to the Turian modern art gallery. Will be back this evening."

-Love,

Sheela

_Well at least she is getting exposure to the art of a foreign culture... Can't say it's good art... But at least she isn't going clubbing or something..._

Tali laid the note on the table and opened a cabinet at random. Inside she found a human breakfast food that Shepard called... _What was it... Cereal?_ And a box of Turian breakfast bars. Well Turian food is better than nothing...

As Tali sat down with one of the bars Shepard exited the bedroom wearing his robe. He smiled brightly at his beloved wife and yawned. "Good morning my Quarian treasure." he greeted as he came up behind Tali and kissed her neck.

"Well somebody is in a good mood. Whatever could be making you so happy?" Tali replied with as naive and innocent a tone as she could muster.

"Well" Shepard glanced around to make sure Sheela was not present "This incredibly beautiful Quarian woman graced me with her luscious presence in bed last night and gave me an astoundingly euphoric experience. And I wanted to thank her for it." Shepard quickly and lightly nipped at the base of Tali's neck, eliciting a gasp of surprise.

"Is that so?... Well you could take her somewhere special today. Sheela has run off to an art gallery with Garrus and that leaves us free to go somewhere alone." Tali smiled and Shepard kissed her cheek.

"Whatever would please you my dear. But first I need something to eat." Shepard replied, turning to dig through the cabinet. Tali set down her breakfast bar and pulled up the extranet on her omnitool.

After about ten minutes of browsing Tali gave an excited squeal which completely shocked Shepard. "Tali what's wrong? Are you ok?"

Tali looked over at him and blushed a deep purplish tint, giggling Tali pointed to the display screen on her omnitool prompting Shepard leaned over to see what the fuss was about.

After studying the screen for a moment Shepard chuckled and looked back at his wife. "You want to go to a human culture fair? Really?" Tali nodded and Shepard sighed. "Alright Tali, if you want to go then we will but first we both need a shower."

Tali hugged her husband amorously and kissed his cheek. "You can go first John. Thank you for saying yes." Shepard looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"I hadn't planned on going alone" He said as he stood and lifted his wife from her seat. Tali giggled and wrapped her arms around Shepard's neck as he carried her into the bedroom and toward the open door to the bathroom.

* * *

Shepard and Tali had been at the fair for less than ten minutes and Shepard was already unhappy. It wasn't that he didn't want to come to a human culture fair. It was more that the fair was completely off. The sports were incorrectly represented. The history was butchered. The only thing that was even close was the Turian doing a Jeff Foxworthy impression.

Tali turned to ask Shepard what a "Red-Neck" was but didn't when she saw the unhappy expression on his face. "John... What's the matter?" she asked as she lifted a hand up to his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

"Huh? Oh nothing." He lied, forcing a smile. Tali lightly smacked his arm and pulled him over to a bench.

"John don't even bother trying to lie. What's the matter?"

Shepard sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't mind coming to a human culture fair, I just wish they represented it better." Tali laid a hand on her husband's leg and gave a sigh.

"John lets go somewhere else. I know how you feel. Quarians are pretty open to... mis-representation as well..." Tali stood and lifted Shepard's chin up with one finger. "Come on. I have an idea."

* * *

Tali almost couldn't contain her excitement. She and Shepard had gotten into the couple's rented skycar and now that we're nearly there. Before leaving for the culture fair Tali had stumbled across a scenic sights page and found something that she thought Shepard might enjoy.

Shepard had fallen asleep in the passenger seat and Tali couldn't really blame him. The place she was going to was pretty far from Garrus's estate and they had been flying for more than six hours. Tali looked out of the corner of her eye at her husband and smiled.

After a few more minutes Tali landed the skycar and gently shook Shepard's leg while whispering his name. "John... Wake up John. We're there." Shepard lifted his head and yawned. "John look." Tali pointed toward the windshield and Shepard followed the direction of her finger.

The skycar was parked on a high cliff overlooking a large lake which stretched to the horizon. The sun was just setting and turned the shimmering water from deep blue to crimson. There was absolutely no light pollution to be seen. The couple remained silent as the sun went down. Shepard moved his hand over to Tali's and held it affectionately, rubbing the back of her gloved hand with his thumb.

After the sun disappeared beneath the horizon Shepard looked over at Tali and found that she was not watching the horizon but was looking at him. "I love you John." she whispered "I couldn't ask for a stronger, sweeter, kinder husband. You mean absolutely everything to me."

Shepard continued to look into her eyes for a moment as he took in her words. After a couple minutes he looked down at his hand, still holding hers. He gave a gentle squeeze and smiled at her.

"Tali, I have done many things in my life. I stopped Sovereign, beat the Collectors, ended Cerberus, and destroyed the Reapers. But absolutely none of that would matter if not for one thing. The one thing that has always kept me going. The one thing that made me keep breathing, keep fighting. The one and only thing that truly matters to me in the entire universe. You, Tali."

Tali's eyes began to tear up as Shepard spoke and after he finished she couldn't hold back any longer. She let the tears flow and hugged Shepard, holding him as tight as she could, wanting to never let go.

A few minutes later Tali loosened her hold on Shepard. "John... Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me." Tali smiled at her husband from behind her faceplate and sighed. "Lets go back. I want to rest with my husband."

* * *

**There you have it. I will admit to watching "The Blue Collar Comedy Tour" while writing part of this chapter. I hope you can forgive me because of the aaaaw factor at the end. As always remember to review :)**


	22. Turian Art

**Hello again my beloved readers. I know I took awhile on this one and I apologize. It's just been pretty crazy with the thanksgiving holiday. Lots of relatives invading the house. Visiting my aunt in Sandusky tomorrow... Yeah pretty busy. Anyway here is the new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

Sheela was sitting at the Dining table eating a Turian breakfast bar when she heard the airlock door cycle begin. She stood and, having finished her food, threw the wrapper away. When the cycle completed and the door opened Klymeet stepped through with a smile on her face.

"Oh Sheela, you were just the one I was hoping to see. Garrus and I are going to an art gallery and we were wondering if you would like to join us?"

Sheela smiled and nodded eagerly "I'd love to come along. When do we leave?"

"Whenever you're ready. Just make sure you let your parents know." Klymeet then turned and left. After she had disappeared through the door Sheela bounded up the stairs to take a shower and put on her suit. About thirty minutes later she was ready. Humming a non consistent tune she pinned a note to the refrigerator and practically skipped out of the house.

* * *

Garrus, Klymeet, and Sheela had been at the gallery for several hours and it was getting late. Not many people were still present and the trio was preparing to leave when there was a sudden crash.

The large room they stood in had many sculptures and paintings scattered about the room displayed in various ways. High above them was a wide glass roof. Until now nobody had payed much attention to the large panels of glass. Now they all had their eyes glued to a single square panel that had fallen and nearly crushed a Salarian woman, who was now trembling with fear and babbling incessantly.

After a moment several small cylinders came down through the newly created hole in the ceiling. After all the cylinders, a dozen total by Sheela's count, hit the ground they burst open, emitting a green gas.

Sheela was utterly confused until she looked around her. Everywhere she looked she saw people coughing and gagging on the green smoke. Not less more than a minute later they had all collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Sheela knelt down next to Klymeet to try and wake her but paused when she heard a peculiar sound. Turning back to where the panel had fallen she saw several, well armed Turian's wearing helmets sliding down ropes and, once they were aware of her, pointing their rifles directly at her.

One of the Turian's turned to another, who Sheela guessed must have been the leader. "Boss, what do we do with this one? She's seen us and the gas didn't affect her." The leader stood for a moment in total silence as most of the others started piling art into the center of the room, under the break in the glass paneling.

The leader gave a sigh and took a pistol off his belt. Before Sheela knew what happened he had closed the distance between himself and her. The Turian then pistol whipped her in the back of the head. Sheela collapsed to the ground and gave a painful moan before loosing consciousness.

* * *

Shepard carried his wife from the rental skycar into the decontamination chamber of the guest house. Tali fell asleep about halfway between the cliff and Garrus' estate. Shepard tip-toed from the chamber after the cycle and laid Tali down on the bed. Tali let out a small sigh and Shepard couldn't tell if she was awake or just dreaming. He silently slipped out of the room to see if Sheela had come back yet.

After looking around briefly Shepard couldn't find his daughter. _Oh well, Garrus will take care of her._ Shepard returned and found his wife exactly where he left her. He gently undid the clasps on her hood and slowly slid it over her head. Once the hood was off Tali opened her eyes and gave her husband a sweet smile.

"Hey" she said tiredly as she loosely held Shepard's arm. "Forget the rest of the suit. I'm too tired to worry about it. Come to bed."

Shepard smiled and leaned down closer to his wife's face. "Sure, love." He closed the distance between their lips and sighed tiredly. Shepard lightly lifted his wife off the bed and used one foot to brush back the covers. After he laid Tali under the covers on her side he pulled them up to her chin and went around to get in on his.

Tali giggled and shifted closer, snuggling her head into his shoulder and quickly drifting off to sleep. Shepard followed suit less than a minute later.

* * *

Garrus coughed and struggled to his feet. _What was that stuff..._ Looking around Garrus saw that all the artwork was gone, after a moment he realized something far worse. Where's Sheela... Garrus turned around to Klymeet, who was just standing up herself. "Klymeet where's Sheela?"

The Drell looked around and got the same fearful look in her eyes that Garrus was currently expressing. Sheela was nowhere to be found.

* * *

About an hour after they arrived back at the estate Shepard and Tali were awoken by a loud bang on their bedroom door. Shepard jumped out of bed immediately. "Who is it?"

"It's Garrus. I need to talk to you and Tali... It's about Sheela."

* * *

**Thereyou have it. A good old fashioned cliff hanging terroristic kidnapping. Please remember to review.**


	23. The Fellowship of the Dark Suns

**I am so sorry! It has been a very long time and I am so sorry about that. I have had Alton my plate lately. Dealing with my father :/ Studying for mid-terms. Buying Christmas gifts. Decorating for christmas... Yeah... Anyway I am on a break from education till January so do not fear! I shall be putting up chapters more regularly! Here is the chapter you have all been waiting for. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You lost my daughter? I trust you to take care of my little girl, and you lose her?"

A momentary silence fell over the four people seated at the kitchen table. Garrus and Shepard were seated across from one another. Shepard glaring at Garrus with a fire in his eyes Garrus had never seen before. A pure, unadulterated rage. Garrus could barely stand to look his friend in the eye.

Klymeet, who was seated at the side of the table to Garrus's left, was unable to meet the gaze of the morbid Quarian across from her. Tali was desperately trying to old back tears as she wrung her hands in her lap.

"How? How the HELL did you let this happen Garrus?" Shepard asked with as level a tone as he could muster.

Garrus inhaled slowly and sighed. "Shepard, there was nothing I could do. One minute we were about to leave and then this pane of glass falls from the ceiling and they toss down gas canisters. I was out cold before I could react." Garrus paused for a moment. Mentally kicking himself for letting this happen. "I am so sorry Shepard. We'll get her back."

Tali sniffed and finally lost her hold on her tears. As she began to weep Shepard stood up and moved behind her to rub her shoulders. "Go get some sleep. We can't do much until morning anyway." With that the group dispersed.

After a few minutes Tali stopped crying and reached up with one of her hands to grasp Shepard's on her shoulder. "Tell me she is alright. Tell me we will get her back."

"Sheela is ok, Tali. We will get her back." Shepard leaned down and lightly kissed his wife's tear-stained cheek. "I promise you, we will get her back."

* * *

BLEEP-BLEEP-BLEEP

"Who could that be this late?" Liara slid out of bed from beside Solana. Being as quiet as possible, as to avoid waking her lover, she tip-toed over to the comm terminal on the desk.

"Hello? Oh Shepard. What's going on?"

"Liara, Sheela has been kidnapped. I need your help to get her back."

Liara quickly grabbed a datapad off a shelf and opened a new file. "Tell me everything that happened."

* * *

After showering and getting cleaned up the next morning, Shepard sat in the kitchen of the guest house with his wife leaning on his shoulder. The airlock door cycled open and Liara stepped through, an urgent aura about her.

"Shepard, Tali we found Sheela and we need to move quickly."

Shepard looked up. "Who took my little girl?"

Liara sat down and pulled out three datapads. Pushing two of them toward the couple she began reading off her own.

"The Fellowship of the Dark Suns is a criminal organization that has appeared rather recently on Palaven. They have been committing low level robberies and heists at warehouses and museums. They have never taken a hostage before, which leads me to believe they don't know who they have. That is why we need to move quickly. They likely don't realize how important she is and they might..."

Liara paused and Shepard nodded. Tali spoke up "Where are they?"

"A small warehouse in the city. I have a weapons in the car. Let's go."

* * *

Sheela lay in a shipping container with a cage webbed roof. They hadn't decided what to do with her yet. They had cracked her faceplate but there was no leak. _Good thing too, these idiots probably don't even know why I need an envirosuit..._

Just then the large metal locks twisted open and one of her Turian captors stepped inside with a pistol in his hand. Cocking it he pointed it directly at her face. "Boss I think we should just waste the bitch and move on. Nobody is gonna miss a little Quarian like her anyway."

_Oh Keelah..._ Thinking quickly Sheela shouted at the Turian. "My father and mother will never let you get away with this! My mother is Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy!"

The Turian paused a moment and Sheela could see the gears working in his mind. "Wait that's commander Shepard's... Oh shit." Sheela couldn't help but smile to herself at the frightened tone in his voice.

Before anything else could happen alarms sounded and the Turian look back toward where the leader was standing. "Lock her back up we have three intruders moving toward our location!"

* * *

Shepard, Tali, and Liara were moving quickly between large shipping containers, easily dispatching any of the thugs who tried to get in their way. The group reached a junction of pathways and split up, Liara and Tali going left and Shepard going right.

_I swear if they hurt my little girl..._ Shepard turned a corner and found what appeared to be the main ops center. Thee were three heavily armed Turians, one of which seemed to be the leader of the organization; Lantar Sidonis.

In a split second Shepard dropped the two Turians on either side of Sidonis and then leveled his rifle at Sidonis' face. "Sidonis, when Garrus gave you a second chance I was expecting you to do something smarter than this. Instead you start a crime syndicate and take my little girl." Sidonis' face held the most horrified and fearful look Shepard had ever seen on a Turian.

Sheela heard her father's voice and shouted "Dad!" Sheela tried to stand but slipped and fell back on her butt, causing the deep cracks in her faceplate to begin leaking the detox air from her suit and allowing the surrounding atmosphere to penetrate. Sheela began coughing and tried to breathe slowly.

Shepard threw the lock open and saw his daughter's cracked faceplate. That was enough for him to do it. Shepard closed the door to the shipping container and turned back to Sidonis. "You made the worst mistake you could ever make. You indangered my daughter. And now," Shepard pressed his pistol into the side of Sidonis' head, "you die."

* * *

Sheela woke up in her soft bed back on Rannoch. She had a huge headache and felt like her lungs were on fire. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw her father sitting in a chair at her bedside, sleeping. Sheela looked at the clock. One in the morning... "Da-" She tried to speak but was cut off by a coughing fit.

Shepard's eyes flew open and he looked down at his coughing daughter. Quickly shifting from his seat onto her bed, Shepard lifted his daughter gently into his lap and held her until the coughing subsided. Lightly running his fingers through her hair.

After a few moments had passed Sheela sighed and hugged her dad. "Daddy..." she began, but halted at the soreness in her throat.

"Shhhhh..." Shepard lifted his daughter's chin to look into her eyes. "It's alright. You're home. You will be alright. I have the best doctor in the galaxy on her way. You're gonna be just fine Shelly. I promise."

Sheela nodded and snuggled her head into her father's shoulder. _Safe..._

* * *

**There you go. New chapter. Since I mentioned it in the earlier note, who wants me to involve Christmas in an upcoming chapter? Please review. See you soon**


	24. The End of a Season

**Hello again my friends, I have here your holiday episode. I hope you enjoy it. Please make ABSOLUTELY SURE you READ the author's note at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

Three months gone and the spirit was in the air. Sheela made a full recovery, the syndicate was disbanded, and Shepard had decided to introduce a custom he had forgone since the Reaper threat appeared. It was Christmas time and Shepard was going to celebrate with his family.

* * *

Tali was starting to get worried. Shepard had been gone for over seven hours and he was not answering her calls._ He never ignores my calls... Even when he goes exploring in the caves he always checks in..._ Tali was about to go out and search when the front door opened and Shepard stepped inside.

"Shepard, where have you been? I called you thirteen times. I was so worried. What have you been up..." Tali trailed off when she saw a large, green mass behind her husband. "And what the hell is that?"

Shepard smiled and gestured to the large tree that now resided on its side just outside the front door. "This is our Christmas tree."

Before anyone could say anything, Sheela's head popped up on the other side of the tree with an extremely confused look on her face. "Um... Dad? Why is there a Kopac tree on our patio?"

* * *

An hour later the family was sitting at the kitchen table, and the tree was standing up in brackets in the living area.

"So you mean to tell me that a fat old man in a red suit visits all the houses with children in one night, comes into the house through odd means, and leaves gifts without ever being seen?" Sheela asked with a jesting tone.

Shepard smiled and shook his head. "Shelly it's just the story that has been told for centuries on earth. It's all in fun. I haven't thought about celebrating Christmas since the Reapers showed up, been too busy. I want us to have a good family celebration."

Tali nodded and kissed her husband on the cheek. "It's a wonderful idea, John. What kind of gifts are we supposed to get each other? Anything ceremonial about it?"

"It's not about ceremony or anything of the sort, just making each other happy. Gifts that the other person will enjoy."

"Can I help you decorate the tree, dad?"

"Of course you can sweetie," Shepard kissed the top of his daughter's head and smiled. _This is going to be a wonderful Christmas._

* * *

_Time certainly flies when you're having fun..._ Shepard thought to himself as he looked at the tree once more before heading to bed. Tomorrow was Christmas day and there were several gifts under the tree.

The tree itself was a masterpiece. As they didn't have any actual ornaments to place on the tree they had taken small items from all over the house and placed them throughout the tree's branches. Shepard was just glad that the tree mostly resembled a pine, except that the limbs and trunk were a dull orange color. Oh well at least the needles are green.

At the top of the tree was a shifting, star-shaped picture frame with pictures of himself, his wife, and his daughter. There were blinking lights strung across the branches with glittering, luminescent stones that Shepard had strung together.

_Not bad for our first tree, not bad at all._

* * *

It was finally here, Christmas day. Shepard sat up when Sheela gingerly tiptoed into his and Tali's bedroom and sat on his legs.

"Merry Christmas dad."

"Merry Christmas sweetheart. I'll get your mother up and we can open presents ok?"

Sheela smiled eagerly and hurried out to the tree.

Shepard gently woke his wife and, after a few minutes, the couple went out and joined their daughter.

Sheela was the first to open a present. Her father had gotten her a printed copy of the complete works of William Shakespeare.

"Oh dad! How did you get a print of this?!" Sheela exclaimed with glee. Shifting her position she hugged her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you daddy."

"You're welcome sweetheart. Ok Tali you open one now... Here," he said as he handed her a small wrapped box. "This one is from me."

Tali tore the paper open and gasped in surprise. It was a small glass orb filled with a luminescent gas. A black metal netting was surrounding the glass and, cut into a plate attached to the netting was the word 'Home.'

"Oh John, it's wonderful. Thank you." Tali leaned over and kissed her husband briefly.

"Here dad, open my gift for you." Sheela handed her father a small tube with a bow on the cap.

Shepard removed the cap and inverted the tube, emptying the contents into his hand. It was a small, hand-carved wooden owl.

"I didn't know what to buy so I made this for you daddy. Do you like it?"

Shepard lifted his daughter into his lap and kissed the top of her head. "I love it Shelly, thank you."

Sheela opened her gift from her mother, a lovely, new, auburn-colored blouse.

Tali got a copy of the Shepard VI from Sheela. Shepard made a mental note to ask her about it later.

When Shepard opened his gift from Tali, he was struck speechless. Tali had truly outdone herself. It was a small, simple gift and yet very meaningful. It was a piece of Tali's veil, specifically the veil she wore when he first met her. Shepard hugged his wife and kissed her.

"Tali, thank you. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

**My friends, I have been writing this story for a long time. I have faltered recently with my timeliness, I know. I hope you all will forgive me for that. I have come to the realization that I need a break from this storyline. I need to collect my thoughts and prepare. I have several other ideas that have been on hold for a very long time and I wish to get them up and running.**

**This is the end this season of my story. I will be marking this story as complete. When I return to this storyline I shall begin a sequel story. I thank you all for your support. I ask that you give me support in my future projects as well.**

**Until we meet again, merry Christmas, happy new year, and Keelah se'lei.**


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